By Own Correspondent

FINANCE Mister Mthuli Ncube has massively reduced the bid submitted by the Labour Public Service and Social Welfare Ministry ahead of the 2023 National Budget announcements despite having gobbled millions of foreign currency on minister’s housing loans.

Information obtained by The Worker is that the ministry submitted a bid of ZW$657 billion but instead Treasury cut it back to ZW$87 billion.

The Higher Education Ministry also suffered a similar predicament with its budget going down to ZW$99, 4 billion down from ZW$176 billion.

The developments douse all hopes for the uplifting of the ordinary workers and citizens who often require social safety nets which can only be achieved in the event of lucrative allocations towards the welfare supporting ministry.

Despite the small allocation, the treasury instead gobbled millions of foreign currency on Ministers Housing loans.

The development rattled Norton legislator Temba Mliswa who accused the ministers of not giving a damn about poor allocations to the key departments which they man.

He questioned prioritisation of scarce resources pointing out that while critical services were underfunded, the government still managed to find money for ministers’ vehicles and housing loans.

He claimed ministers had two government issued luxury vehicles, adding they were also given housing loans of US$500,000 each.

“Ministers no longer care for the people because they were given loans amounting to half a million United States dollars to buy houses and cars,” he said, further accusing top government officials of corruption.

“There is no collaboration in the government. July Moyo is spending devolution money willy-nilly. He is taking Chiefs’ money. Who is he!? Are we tired of July Moyo? We do not want to see him,” added Mliswa.