Oliver Kazunga, Senior Business Reporter
THE Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Finance and Economic Development will next week begin nationwide public consultations on the 2022 national budget.
The public hearings will be held physically and virtually as well as broadcast on radio stations on Classic 263, Central FM, National FM and Diamond FM from Monday to Friday next week.
Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube is expected to present the upcoming fiscal policy statement next month.
According to a public notice released by Parliament, four teams will conduct the public hearings in different areas.
In Bulawayo the consultations will be conducted on Wednesday between 10.30AM and 12.30PM at Selbourne Hotel and Iminyela Hall from 14.30PM to 17.30PM the same day.
In Matabeleland South province, the public hearing team would be at Omadu Hall in Maphisa from mid-morning to afternoon on Thursday before proceeding to Heany Hall in Umzingwane on Friday.
In Matabeleland North province, the team will be at Freedom Square in Binga on Monday for the public consultations mid-morning while on Tuesday the team will be in Tsholotsho at Tsholotsho BSPZ, also in the mid-morning.
Parliament also indicated that in the Midlands, the public hearing team will be at Gokwe Chireya Mission in Gokwe on Wednesday mid-morning.
Also in the Midlands province, the team will be at Chirumanzu Rural District Council Sub-Office mid-morning on Thursday.
“The public hearings will at all times comply with the Ministry of Health and Child Care Covid-19 regulations as outlined in Statutory Instruments 99 and 110 regarding the observing of social distancing, sanitization, temperature screening and wearing of facial masks,” reads part of the public notice on the upcoming national budget.
Only 100 participants would be allowed at any one time during the public consultations and where more than 100 participants want to attend, they will only be allowed in groups that comply with the requirements.
The public hearings, which seek to strengthen Parliament and citizens’ role in the formulation of the national budget, are conducted every year in fulfilment of section 28 (5) of the Public Finance Management Act.
The Act states, “the minister may, through the appropriate portfolio committee of Parliament, seek the views of Parliament in the preparation and formulation of the annual budget, for which purpose the appropriate portfolio committee shall conduct public hearings to elicit the opinions of as many stakeholders in the national budget as possible”.
The provision is also in line with section 13 of the Constitution, which compels the State to involve the people in the formulation and implementation of development plans and programmes that affect them.
Under President Mnangagwa’s administration, the country has come up with Vision 2030 through which the Government desires to transform the citizens’ living standards by ensuring that they have decent jobs by 2030.
Through Vision 2030, the Government also wants to achieve an upper middle-income economy with per capita income approaching US$3 500. — @okazunga.