GOVERNMENT has been implored to deliver on its socio-economic development mandate and address citizens’ basic needs.
A recent report by The call was made by the Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (Zimcodd) saying poverty was on the rise, five years into the second republic’s reign,.
“Five years on, we reflect on the current socio-economic conditions, especially defining the lived realities of the poor and a far from pleasing picture is painted. Unemployment remains high, currency instability reigns, ‘catching and releasing’ of the corrupt persists, health care remains a preserve of the rich and infrastructure development lags,” the Zimcodd report reads.
“Over the years, the State has been failing to guarantee employment for the majority, which has sadly resulted in the loss of critical skills as the majority of graduates leave the country in search of greener pastures. Despite the government’s promise of creating 760 000 new jobs, an average of 80% youth are unemployed, and of these 59,6% are women .”
Zimcodd said access to health services has remained a preserve of the rich.
“Recently, the government hiked user fees at public hospitals by 1 748%. This is to match the new process of pegging user fees against the United States dollar. As such, the fees will follow the exchange rate. This, however, leaves the majority who earn in the local currency which is eroded every day unable to access health care as their incomes don’t get reviewed against the rate effectively.
"On corruption, a new term has been coined due to the persistence of the practice. The ‘catch and release’ phenomenon speaks to the authorities playing the gallery by arresting prominent government officials implicated in cases of corruption and then releasing them with no recourse or accountability for the resources lost,” Zimcodd added.
In 2017 and 2018, President Emmerson Mnangagwa promised that his government would pursue people-oriented leadership anchored on socio-economic development.
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