CDF is losing value, lets scrap it says Molokele
Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube has allocated ZW$2,4 billion in the 2022 national budget towards the Constituency Development Funds (CDF).
This translates to ZW$11,4 million per constituency, which is about an increase of ZW$9,4 million from the ZW$2 million that was allocated in 2021.
Hwange Central legislator Daniel Molokele said the money is not enough for any meaningful development since it is in RTGS and is a victim of inflation
“CDF money is definitely not enough because it’s an era RTGS. Everyone knows that we’re now in a US Dollar based economy. And from what we learnt in 2021, the allocation came in the second half of the year, and by that time it had been affected adversely by hyperinflation,” he said.
“So, there are two different issues. The first issue is as long as the budget is in our RTGS, it can never be enough to do anything meaningful. So, it defeats the purpose of having a CDF in the first place.
‘’Because it’s such a small amount and then second, because of late disbursement, it loses value daily, by the time it arrives, is no longer able to do what it was intended to do,” he said.
Honourable Molokele went on to advocate for the scraping of CDF to legislators as it defeats the principle of separation of power in the constitution of Zimbabwe.
“My honest view is that we do not need the CDF, it must be scrapped altogether. Development must not be a primary concern of Members of Parliament. Our duty is to represent people to make new laws and to make sure that we play our oversight role.
So, this is violating the principle of separation of powers. In my view, let there be no CDF at all for the MPs,” he added.
Despite the CDF losing value daily they are some legislators who seem not to have an appetite for the development cheque.
Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda is on record that there are various legislators who have not been applying for CDF.
‘’Members, it has been brought to my attention that although we are now in the third quarter of our 9th Session, only 68 members have applied for the 2020 Constituency Development Fund (CDF),” Mudenda said.
“Statistics show that 142 members have not applied for the year 2020, 67 Honourable Members did not apply for the 2019 allocations and 20 did not apply for the 2018 allocation,” add Adv Mudenda.
CDF was introduced in 2010 mainly as a development medium through which communities are in charge of small and high result projects that affect their day to day activities.
CDF is losing value, lets scrap it says Molokele
