Defence minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri and Home Affairs colleague Kazembe Kazembe lamented the dire state of affairs in the security services.
Muchinguri-Kashiri said the poor budgetary support for the ministry had resulted in soldiers being the subject of public ridicule and insults, according to NewZimbabwe.
Speaking during the ongoing Parliamentary consultations for the 2023 national budget held in Harare at the weekend, Muchinguri-Kashiri said:
Soldiers do not have adequate accommodation; they need to be in barracks.
They are given all sorts of names, they use public transport, they are insulted on a daily basis and whilst on duty, they sometimes go without food.
On the food items they are supposed to be getting 53 items but this has been reduced to five items only. Soldiers were going for Sadza and beans without cooking oil daily.
Home Affairs minister Kazembe Kazembe said the situation was equally bad for the country’s police service. He said:
The police force situation is very desperate.
You should actually be thanking the police that we still have sanity and tranquillity in our country because of the situation these men and women are going through.
ZANU PF’s Buhera South legislator Joseph Chinotimba warned the ministers to remember that their security was provided by these disgruntled officers, adding that the situation was a national security threat.
You are all being guarded by these security forces.
A soldier is the last person to defend the country. Let us be serious. You cannot feed a soldier with beans. Kuhondo taiti Gandanga haridye derere mukoma! Vapeyi mari kubva nhasi!
Parliament’s Defence Committee Chairperson Levi Mayihlome (ZANU PF) added that there is gross disgruntlement over police transport allowances.
Independent Norton legislator, Temba Mliswa questioned the prioritisation of scarce resources pointing out that while critical services were underfunded, the government still managed to find the money for ministers’ vehicles and housing loans.
He claimed ministers had two government issue luxury vehicles, adding they were also given housing loans of US$500 000 each.
Speaker Jacob Mudenda challenged Parliamentary committees and government departments to come up with domestic resource mobilisation strategies to help alleviate poverty across the country.