Members of Parliament (MPs) in Zimbabwe’s ruling party, ZANU PF, have demanded higher salaries and additional benefits, including houses and Toyota Land Cruisers, before passing the country’s 2024 budget.
They argue that their benefits should be on par with those of ministers and complain that the budget of US$60,000 for each MP’s vehicle is insufficient. They are calling for housing allowances, staff, fuel allowances, and higher salaries to meet regional standards. They also want the construction of constituency offices and loans for purchasing houses.
ZimLive quotes Murewa South MP Noah Mangondo saying:
If you look at it, a minister has cabinet allowance, housing allowance, salary, workers who are paid by the government, telephone bills, fuel and everything. What about an MP?
Vehicles that were discussed here, my constituency Murehwa South, from one end to the other, I travel 60km on a dirt road, with no gravel. I was issued with a Toyota GD6 vehicle by my party, it is now a wreck, just in a space of four months. GD6 is not useful to me, I need a Toyota Land Cruiser for me to be able to move from one point to another…
We need to sit down to discuss this issue. If there is need to have a committee of MPs who can present our issues and not to be given small amounts which do not help us; it is not acceptable.
Shurugwi South MP Wilson Mhuri added:
The motor vehicles that we use are not in good condition since most of our vehicles broke down during campaigns. What motor vehicle does he (Ncube) have in mind?
I am not looking down upon the vehicle scheme, but vehicles for US$60,000 are not befitting of the stature of an Honourable Member of Parliament.
Insiza South MP Spare Sithole demanded that MPs who were in the ninth parliament should get the difference between the value of cars they were told they could import, and what they were eventually permitted. He said:
In the previous parliament, the 5th session, you promised us vehicles which were at US$80,000 but at the end of the session, you said the vehicles were now US$50,000 so there was a difference of US$30,000 which we thought we would be given as cash.
So as we are passing this budget, are we going to be given that difference?
Edmore Samambwa, MP for Zhombe, asked if the new MPs would also get US$40,000 loans like their predecessors. He said:
We also want to know before we pass this budget that, is duty-free still applicable in the 10th parliament as it was in the previous parliament. We also want to know, if members of the 9th parliament got US$40,000 loans are we also going to get them?
Ompile Marupi, MP for Gwanda South, added:
Why is there a selective application in terms of loan amounts? For example, ministers get US$500,000, deputy ministers get US$350,000 and the Member of Parliament gets US$40,000?
Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube has responded by increasing the budget for parliament and allocating funds for vehicles. However, he stated that the government cannot afford to repay the difference in vehicle prices from the previous parliament. Ncube assured the MPs that parliament and the treasury are working together to improve their salaries, with a target salary of US$2,000. He also proposed a South African model where land is identified for building accommodation for MPs. Ncube acknowledged the MPs’ concerns about poor accommodation and services provided by hotels and suggested that loans could be obtained for buying houses. However, he emphasized the need for further discussions to agree on the best model for providing accommodation.