Home Affairs requests ZWL$2 trillion budget for 2024, big chunk of funds set to cover employment costs

By Reason Razao

Ministry of Home Affairs has requested ZWL$2 trillion for 2024 with much of the money aimed at acquiring vehicles for different departments including immigration which is failing to repatriate deportees due to unavailability of customized deportation vehicles.

Speaking during parliamentary portfolio committee pre-budget consultative meeting, Ministry of Home Affairs permanent secretary, Raphael Faranisi said the budget allocation will be channeled towards governance, image building, infrastructure and utilities, youth, sport and culture, environmental protection, climate resilience and natural resource management.

According to Faranisi employment costs will amount to ZWL $ 1,6 trillion while recurrent expenditure will be ZWL $ 423 billion.

Faranisi said the Capital budget was pegged at ZWL $120 billion.

“Our capital budget is further broken down as follows: ZWL53,895,900,000.00 for Infrastructure Development, 2WL700,000,000.00 for ICT systems development ZWL53,479,100,000.00 for Machinery and Office Equipment.

“ZWL6,190,000,000.00 for acquisition of three Institutional Houses and the balance of ZWL6 210,000,000.00 is earmarked for the acquisition of motor vehicles.

“The need to put up a reliable integrated ICT systems and Infrastructure Development has been given priority to facilitate the ease of doing business as well as enhancing service delivery in our day to day operations,” said Faranisi.

“As a ministry we felt that the 120 billion meant for acquisition of  assets was too little and as such did not cater for the required number of vehicles and we are appealing that we be given an additional 78 billion.”

According to Faranisi, lack of vehicles has grounded the monitoring and evaluation personnel.

“Reasons for the need of motor vehicles, it has been noted that there is need for monitoring and evaluation team to visit project sites to ascertain progress.

“Audit teams are failing to smoothly carry out audits due to unavailability of vehicles, most vehicles are obsolete and spare parts are difficult to obtain.

“Immigration department has several deportees and these need to be repatriated and currently they do not have a customized deportation vehicles.

“Generally all department vehicles fleets are depleted in terms of government policy and top management have to move into institutional houses to contain costs,” he added.

Faranisi said a directive was given that houses have to be purchased for ministers, their deputies and permanent secretaries.