Zimbabwe Finance Minister laments he has no money to spend as $97 out of every $100 he gets goes to wages but he is not adopting South African rand

All the projects that have been mentioned, Zambezi Water Project, it is a matter that we have been handling.  It was disrupted because of the threat.  We had already pumped US$35 million into Gwai-Shangani, and a tender was awarded and work was done.  However, when there was a threat on the Tokwe-Mukorsi Dam, we diverted those resources to finish the Tokwe-Mukorsi.  We are now going to be more focused on it so that it is finished.  I have been to the site and some work was done.

The Cold Storage Commission Company is something that Hon. Minister Made is clearly looking into and we hope that we can come up with a resolution on this matter soon, so is the Lupane Gas.  All this require an investor who brings money to exploit the gas, coal and all these issues.

Mr. Speaker Sir, a point was made about Group Five.  What I think I need to Hon. Members to understand is that I think the sub-contractors ended up being Zimbabweans and one of the big sub-contractor was from Bulawayo for the Plumtree to Mutare Road.  However, when we go out looking for money, it comes with conditionalities, which is why it is important to generate our resources so that we can take the decisions that we want.  If they come with conditionalities, we have to choose whether to forgo the project or to take it.  Invariably, we end up accepting the conditionalities so that the project can go on.  As it is, the only road which is in a respectable condition is Mutare-Plumtree.  Outside that, it is a disaster.  If there are any investors who want to rehabilitate those roads and bring in their own money, bring them to us and we will talk.

Hon. Chamisa, again he means the point again that you cannot have your cake and eat it. If you are not taxing anybody, do not expect good things or service delivery.  Do not expect to receive any salary because the salary comes from taxes.  We need to understand that very clearly.

With respect to Foreign Direct Investment, we are doing whatever we can to create the necessary environment to make things happen. I am confident that things will start happening.  He mentioned voter registration; I want to say that through the Vote of Credit and other initiatives that I am talking about, I am sure that I will be able to raise the necessary funding for the bio-metric voter registration which should take place this year.  Infact, already I have had three or four meetings since last week to finalise this arrangement.    In the 2018 budget, we will now put a vote on the cost of conducting the elections.

A lot of what Hon. Chamisa was saying is very populist.  Pay everything, increase everything; Hon. Speaker, I also want to be a populist.  I also want people to praise me for making promises but the difference between them and me is that if I make a promise, I must fulfill it and I do not want to make promises which I cannot fulfill.  I tell the nation clearly what is and what is not in the coffers and what measures we need to take to move us out of that situation.  That I will promise to do always but I would want to say to colleagues, please, I know the election season is near.  Do not make promises to people.  Our people are no longer as foolish as we think.  They now distinguish people who tell lies and who tell the truth.  Let us not hoodwink them by making stories that we know cannot happen.

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