Zim News Blog -NEWS NETWORK

Zimbabwe’s Embassy in South Africa has started working on the repatriation process of the 36 Zimbabweans who died in a recent horrific road accident in Makhado, Limpopo province in South Africa. This follows the positive identification of their remains by relatives at the Siloam Hospital Mortuary on Monday morning. The heartbreaking identification lasted the full day with South African forensic

The Government has taken a significant step towards improving the financial welfare of university lecturers and staff, following the approval of a new salary structure by President Mnangagwa. The development was announced yesterday by the Permanent Secretary for Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science, and Technology Development, Professor Fanuel Tagwira, during his oral submissions

Nyore Madzianike, Harare Bureau

THE Government has taken a significant step towards improving the financial welfare of university lecturers and staff, following the approval of a new salary structure by President Mnangagwa.

The development was announced yesterday by the Permanent Secretary for Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science, and Technology Development, Professor Fanuel Tagwira, during his oral submissions to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Higher and Tertiary Education, as part of the 2026 National Budget consultations at Parliament Building.

Professor Tagwira confirmed that although the President has approved the new salary structure, the Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion, Professor Mthuli Ncube, has yet to release the funds.

“What we have done is factor in the salaries that His Excellency (President Mnangagwa) approved in our proposed budget,” he stated.

The announcement comes at a time when the ministry requires over ZiG46 billion to fully fund its operations.

This funding will not only cover the new salary structure but also support ongoing construction projects under the Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP). The financial support is particularly crucial in light of the recent expansion of tertiary institutions and the need to enhance their operational capacity.

“The approval of salaries for university staff is a critical development. It aligns with our commitment to improving the quality of education and supporting our educators,” Professor Tagwira said.

The salary adjustments are intended to address long-standing concerns regarding the remuneration of lecturers, who have consistently advocated for improved pay.

In addition to the salary approval, the Government plans to establish teacher training colleges for secondary school educators across all provinces. Some existing primary school teacher training institutions will be transformed to accommodate this initiative, in line with a resolution from the 22nd Zanu-PF People’s Conference.

“As part of this initiative, we will be opening a new college in Mhangura and transforming some colleges that currently train only primary school teachers to also train secondary school teachers,” Professor Tagwira said.

This expansion will necessitate an increase in the PSIP budget, further highlighting the need for adequate funding. The Permanent Secretary also addressed historical challenges faced by the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund (Zimdef), which had previously struggled financially.

“In 2018, Zimdef was almost non-operational and even borrowing for salaries. However, it is now fully operational, and we are ensuring that its resources are exclusively used for teaching and infrastructure development,” he noted.

The ministry’s ability to stretch limited resources is exemplified by recent projects, such as the completion of the MSU Law School. Professor Tagwira pointed out that despite receiving only ZiG8 billion from the Government last year for MSU, the law school was successfully built through effective fundraising efforts.

Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Higher and Tertiary Education, Dr Josiah Makombe, expressed support for the ministry’s initiatives. He pledged to lobby for increased funding to ensure the successful implementation of the new salary structure and other educational projects.

Dr Makombe emphasised that development cannot be achieved under current budget constraints and reiterated the importance of accountability within the ministry once the proposed budget is approved.

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Prosper Ndlovu, National Editor

THE National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1: 2020–2025) comes to an end in two months’ time, and the Government is fine-tuning the drafting of its successor blueprint — NDS2 — which will be rolled out alongside the implementation of the 2026 National Budget.

Cabinet has already approved the roadmap for developing NDS2 (2026–2030), which is expected to consolidate the milestone gains achieved under NDS1, address existing gaps, and ensure Zimbabwe delivers on the targets set out under Vision 2030.

According to the roadmap, the final draft of NDS2 must be completed by the end of this month, approved and printed next month, in readiness for its official launch by President Mnangagwa.

Thereafter, the dissemination process will begin, paving the way for full-scale implementation from January 2026 to December 2030.

“The 2026 National Budget marks the first annual fiscal plan for implementing the NDS2, under the theme: ‘Enhancing Drivers of Economic Growth and Transformation Towards Vision 2030’,” said Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister, Professor Mthuli Ncube.

“We are currently seized with the formulation of NDS2, Zimbabwe’s second five-year medium-term plan whose main objective will be to enable the realisation of the country’s Vision 2030. To achieve the aspirations of Vision 2030, it’s imperative to consolidate the gains achieved under NDS1 while decisively addressing the gaps that remain,” he said.

Prof Ncube made these remarks in his comprehensive State of the Economy report presented at the recent Zanu-PF Annual National People’s Conference in Mutare, where he assured the nation that the economy was on the right path and urged stakeholders to contribute valuable inputs to ensure a robust national blueprint.

As part of the build-up to NDS2, in July this year Prof Ncube presented the 2026 Budget Strategy Paper (BSP) to Parliament under the theme: “Enhancing Drivers of Economic Growth and Transformation Towards Vision 2030”. The BSP was issued to communicate the Government’s fiscal policy direction and enhance stakeholders’ understanding of the broader macro-fiscal issues guiding the budgeting process and underpinning the prioritisation of public resources.

“As we prepare the 2026 National Budget, we request for your valuable inputs. Financial prudence and discipline in the public sector remain central to safeguarding economic sovereignty and ensuring durable stability,” he told delegates.

Prof Ncube said that during the NDS1 period, the Government made significant progress in moving up the value chain, despite limited external support, inspired by President Mnangagwa’s guiding motto:

“Nyika inovakwa, igotongwa, igonamatirwa nevene vayo / Ilizwe lakhiwa, libuswe, likhulekelwe ngabanikazi balo.”

The country has also achieved major milestones in delivering macroeconomic stability, stimulating both local and foreign investment, and expanding the economy — with an average annual growth rate of six percent over the past seven years, surpassing regional projections and leapfrogging several sister economies in sub-Saharan Africa.

Looking ahead, Prof Ncube called for collective stakeholder solidarity, emphasising that the success of economic transformation depends on collaboration between Government, the private sector, and citizens to drive inclusive and sustainable growth.

“Pursuant to the forgoing, Government has expanded the implementation of policies, which now include the ease of doing business reforms as part of an integrated strategy for increased economic activity, higher productivity, inclusive growth and structural transformation. Following the implementation of the initial stabilisation measures under the TSP, these reforms were sustained during NDS1 (2021–2025).”

As Zimbabwe moves towards Vision 2030, Prof Ncube reiterated that the strategy’s objectives remain unchanged — anchored on achieving and entrenching macroeconomic stability (low and stable inflation, currency stability), sustaining high economic activity and inclusive growth, achieving food security and self-sufficiency, climate-proofing agriculture, and enhancing agricultural productivity.

This also includes increasing household incomes and reducing poverty levels, improving the ease of doing business, achieving higher value addition and beneficiation, unlocking the economy’s production capacity through infrastructure development (energy and power, dams, roads, airports, etc.), and supporting Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), youth, and women in business.

“This presentation highlights the progress that has been made under the Second Republic in respect of the forgoing,” said Prof Ncube.

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Remember Deketeke

Herald Correspondent

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa is today expected to officiate at the National Youth Symposium in Harare, where he will launch the National Youth Empowerment Strategy.

This will mark a major step in aligning youth development initiatives.

The National Youth Strategy will be the roadmap for structured youth development programming and coordination in Zimbabwe.

The symposium, which started yesterday, is running under the theme, “Empower the youth, secure the future”.

Speaking during a tour of stands at the National Youth Symposium at the Zimbabwe Agricultural Showgrounds yesterday, Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training Minister Tino Machakaire confirmed the President’s coming today.

“So, on Wednesday (today) it was a day set aside for recognising the youths who have excelled in all spheres of life and see how best we can motivate them to do more,” he said.

“The President is also expected to launch the National Youth Strategy, which will be a roadmap for youth development from the Transitional Stabilisation Programme, National Development Strategy 1 and 2.”

Minister Machakaire added that the Second Republic, under the leadership of President Mnangagwa, had already provided a clear roadmap for youth empowerment through deliberate policy direction.

“If you see, His Excellency has already given the roadmap. He has deliberately, with intent, shown us what we need to do,” he said.

“Tomorrow (today), we launch the National Youth Empowerment Strategy, which binds us to other ministries so that we are not just referring young people from one ministry to another; we will now have inter-ministerial committees where we give each other actual feedback, statistics and results.”

The minister said the new strategy would ensure that every sector of Government tracks its impact on young people, enabling better decision-making and targeted support. “For example, we will be able to see, at school level, how many young people we are actually reaching. If we are not reaching enough, we adjust. Where we are doing well, we focus a lot more,” he said.

Youth Deputy Minister Kudakwashe Mupamhanga said the symposium was conceived to foster collaboration, coordination and accountability among all players involved in youth development.

“We said, let us bring everyone together. Let us start programming together. Not just for the symposium, but even beyond, we are going into a strategic meeting after this,” he said.

“We also want to use this opportunity to network ourselves as a ministry, to connect with other organisations and identify young people out there that we might not yet have in our database.

“This will help us programme better in the future.”

Harare Youth Transporters Association (HAYTA) chairman Mr Edmore Gwengwe, who is exhibiting at the symposium, said the event provided an important platform for young entrepreneurs in the transport sector to engage directly with policymakers and developmental partners.

“This symposium is a game-changer for us as young players in the transport industry,” he said.

“For a long time, youth-led transport initiatives have operated in isolation, but here we are able to interact with other sectors, learn about financing opportunities, and align our work with national development goals.”

Hwange-based entrepreneur Mr Allan Twalumba, said his company is demonstrating how innovation and sustainability can drive youth-led industrial growth.

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