Zimbabwe’s Finance Minister, Professor Mthuli Ncube has said that members of the public must not be concerned about the safety of public funds since they are in good hands.
His remarks come when some observers have said that the government was prioritising luxurious goods at the expense of basic public goods.
Speaking during a post-2020 National Budget breakfast meeting in Harare jointly organised by Zimpapers and ZBC, Ncube dismissed allegations that austerity measures under the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP) were only targeting the ordinary citizen saying that Cabinet ministers were yet to receive some of their benefits. He added:
Government finances are in order; they are actually in good hands. I declare Government finances are in good hands. The deficit is under control. I think we have achieved a miracle; to achieve the twin-deficit target without external support, who does this? Only us, without external support.
Government critics, however, ridicule Ncube’s claim that Zimbabwe registered a surplus when he also claims that the country has a deficit.
They also say that the alleged surplus which is in the local currency must be converted into United States dollars since the country had a USD Budget.
More: The Herald