Minister of Finance and Economic Development Mthuli Ncube said that President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s foreign trips were important as they were bringing the much-needed medicines.
Ncube was responding to Bulawayo Metropolitan Senator Siphiwe Ncube who questioned why Mnangagwa hired a $12.500 per hour jet when there are no medicines in hospitals. Said Minister Ncube:
The travels that the President was involved in are critical to engaging the international community and only then will we have these medicines and other resources.
The other week I travelled with the President to the United Arab Emirates and we were offered medicines which came in handy for Cyclone Idai.
In order to have medicines in the health sector, it is critical for us to engage other nations. Currently, Air Zimbabwe cannot fly long haul aircraft as they are not fully functional and they can only fly domestic routes.
Perhaps the call is that we need to resuscitate Air Zimbabwe, and we are working on it so that we can have more options for the President to fly. However, he has stuck to his travel budget very well.