Govt to finally pay MPs for visiting their constituencies

By Pretty Chavango

Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube has announced that the government will now be paying legislators constituency visit allowances.

The allowances were agreed to some during the pre-budget seminar in Victoria Falls in 2020 but had not yet been paid.

Various legislators had complained about the delays in the release of the funds by the treasury.

This resulted in a series of meeting between Parliament and the treasury leading to the agreement.

Addressing the media, Finance Minister revealed that he was starting to pay the allowances effective 1 July 2022.

‘’In the spirit of leaving No-One and No Place Behind in public engagement, the Government has introduced a constituency visit allowance to improve close relations between elected officials and their constituents and electorate.

‘’Fuel is provided to members in all constituencies irrespective of the distance to their Constituencies from the Capital City,’’ he said.

Legislators have often complained that they were failing to visit their constituencies due to a lack of resources.

Zimbabwean laws do not necessarily require legislators to stay in their constituencies.

This has seen most legislators opting to stay in Harare, where Parliament is based, and often visit their constituencies.

Zimbabwe has about 210 legislators who are directly elected, then 60 women elected under the Proportional Representation Clause, to make it 270 in the National Assembly.

There are also 80 Senators.

It is not yet clear if the constituency visit allowance will be extended to all the 350 legislators or if it will be given to the 210 only like the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).

However, proportional representation legislators have complained that CDF gives other legislators an advantage that will help them return to Parliament in the next elections.

They claim the development that will be done using CDF will be attributed to the sitting legislator by the electorate, while they have nothing that can be attributed to them.

Govt to finally pay MPs for visiting their constituencies