Government Spends Unbudgeted US$16 Million On Chiefs' Cars
Finance, Economic Development, and Investment Promotion Minister Mthuli Ncube disclosed that the government spent millions of unbudgeted dollars on twin-cab vehicles for traditional chiefs earlier this year.
Ncube revealed this in Parliament on Wednesday, following a request from Clemence Chiduwa, chairperson of the Budget, Finance, and Economic Development Portfolio Committee, for a detailed explanation of unauthorised expenditures by various ministries.
In defence of the unbudgeted expenditure, Ncube said that these vehicles are essential tools for chiefs to effectively attend to their constituents. He said (via NewsDay):
It must say it should be noted that the Council of Chiefs incurred excess expenditures on its vote due, in part, to the unbudgeted procurement of 237 vehicles for chiefs as well as review of allowances and other related national events.
However, the vehicles were the bulk of this expenditure. These are tools of trade.
A brand new 4×4 Isuzu twin-cab vehicle retails for approximately US$70,000 in the local market, bringing the total expenditure for all the vehicles to over US$17 million.
Chiefs and other traditional leaders play a significant role in ZANU PF’s election campaigns, often engaging in the coercion of villagers and manipulation of food aid distribution.
In the lead-up to the August 2023 elections, traditional leaders allegedly collaborated with the ZANU PF-affiliated Forever Associates Zimbabwe to intimidate villagers and advance the ruling party’s agenda.
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