By Aldridge Dzvene
In a powerful and deeply reflective keynote address delivered in Bulawayo, Speaker of Parliament Hon. Advocate Jacob Francis Nzwidamilimo Mudenda issued a clarion call to Zimbabwean legislators to rise to the full stature of their constitutional mandate by embracing rigorous and people-centred budget analysis. Addressing Members of Parliament during the Capacity Building Workshop on Budget Analysis for the Public Accounts Committee and the Portfolio Committee on Budget, Finance and Investment Promotion, the Speaker underlined that budget oversight is not a ceremonial duty but a sacred national responsibility anchored in the Constitution, and vital for protecting the aspirations of every Zimbabwean.
Drawing from the wisdom of African proverbs, Advocate Mudenda declared, “Until the lion learns to write, every story will glorify the hunter,” challenging lawmakers to break free from the role of passive observers and become the authors of Zimbabwe’s fiscal story. He emphasized that budget analysis is no longer a technical box-ticking exercise, but a moral and intellectual duty that must interrogate whether every dollar spent transforms lives, serves the most vulnerable, and promotes national development goals. Parliament, he said, must go beyond perfunctory scrutiny and adopt an evidence-based, citizen-focused approach that centres on equity, adequacy, priority and effectiveness in all public expenditure.
He reminded legislators that their oversight role is clearly enshrined in Sections 119, 298 and 299 of the Constitution, which give Parliament the unambiguous authority to question, probe, and hold all arms of government accountable. In that spirit, he urged Members to understand the full cycle of the Public Finance Management system, from planning and allocation to implementation and impact evaluation. Budget decisions, he said, must speak directly to a mother in Chipinge or a father in Hwange, bringing clarity to how public funds are improving education, healthcare, infrastructure and livelihoods. True accountability, he said, lies not in formality but in substance, in serving people with honesty, transparency and justice.
Hon. Mudenda passionately encouraged Members to adopt a pro-poor, pro-development lens in their analysis, using modern tools such as data analytics and artificial intelligence to expose the often-hidden socio-economic realities affecting ordinary citizens. Quoting Nelson Mandela, he declared that “overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice,” urging Parliament to align its oversight work with international benchmarks such as the Abuja, Maputo, Dakar and Incheon Declarations, which call for significant national budget allocations towards health, agriculture and education. While acknowledging economic constraints, he stressed that Zimbabwe must still strive to meet these global standards to ensure inclusive and sustainable development.
The Speaker also called for budgeting that honours constitutional values, including gender equality, youth empowerment, welfare of veterans, climate resilience and the rights of persons with disabilities. He emphasized that these values are not optional extras, but national imperatives grounded in Chapters 2 and 4 of the Constitution. In that light, Parliament must champion allocative efficiency, ensuring that resources are directed where they matter most, and operational efficiency, making sure that every cent spent delivers measurable outcomes.
In closing, Hon. Mudenda officially opened the workshop with a stirring appeal for collective leadership, conscious governance and relentless pursuit of fiscal justice. He urged Parliament to become not just a watchdog of the public purse but a visionary guide for national transformation. “Knowledge without integrity is dangerous,” he said, “and leadership without accountability is betrayal.” Parliament must lead — with insight, with honour, and with unwavering commitment to the people of Zimbabwe.
