In October 2018, the Government of Zimbabwe introduced the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP) to stimulate economic growth and stabilise the macro-economic environment in the country. The programme is from October 2018 to December 2020. It is aimed at building a foundation that will ensure a prosperous and empowered upper middle-income society by 2030.

Within the period October 2018-2020, the Transitional Stabilisation Programme will focus on: 

  1. Stabilizing the macro-economy, and the financial sector,
  2. Introducing necessary policy, and institutional reforms, to transform Zimbabwe to a private sector led economy; and
  3. Launch quick-wins to stimulate growth.

The TSP commits to overcome and redress the underlying challenges arising from economic fragility, joblessness, inequality and poverty (pg. iv). The programme recognises the need to empower women and youths, while also bringing to the fore key issues that improve the welfare of the historically marginalised groups, including children and people facing physical challenges.

With the above background in mind:

  1. What opportunities do you see, the TSP contributing toward the improvement of citizens’ lives in the short, medium and long term?
  2. What strategies should be adopted to ensure sustained participation of citizens in the implementation of the TSP?
  3. How can various stakeholders contribute to the success of the TSP?


 

3 Jun 2019 - 24 Jul 2019

Comments (53)

Nokholo Mhluzani Matshazi
Nokholo Mhluzani Matshazi Moderator

Welcome to this online dialogue on the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP). This consultation is open from 3 June to 3 July 2019 and is publicly available for Zimbabweans to participate in the discussions.

Introduced by the Government of Zimbabwe  in October 2018, the TSP, seeks to stimulate economic growth and stabilise the macroeconomic situation in the country. The Programme outlines policies and projects that will guide Zimbabwe’s socio-economic interventions and initiate policy reforms to position the country toward a middle-income economy by 2030.  Collaboration between government, citizens, the private sector, civic organisations and all Zimbabweans on the TSP is important.

This online dialogue is an opportunity to nurture a shared understanding among citizens and stakeholders on the policy reforms and project responses in the TSP. Your insights will help to ensure an enhanced understanding of the TSP among fellow citizens; contribute input into future development plans and expand scope for engagement and accountability among stakeholders on the planning, monitoring and implementation of the TSP.

The consultation will be segmented into four discussion threads:

 Discussion 1: Reforms and Policy Responses;

Discussion 2: Relevance - Today and Tomorrow;

Discussion 3: Implementation and Monitoring; and  

Discussion 4: Transparency and Accountability.  

You may wish to read through the abridged version of the TSP and respective background papers in each of the respective discussion threads.

Please feel free to comment in as many threads, and respond to as many questions, as you like. Though the consultation will largely be hosted in English, comments in some of the local languages are also welcomed. If you have any difficulty accessing or contributing to this consultation, or any other issues with the website, please contact us by sending an email to [email protected].

This consultation will culminate in a synthesis document to be presented to a policy dialogue at a date to be advised.

Questions on the process of consultation can be addressed to [email protected] [UNDP] [email protected] [NANGO] and [email protected] [ZYC]

We look forward to your contributions to this important discussion!

Please note that though all contributions will be made publicly available. We shall request you to register an account to post or respond to another comment. This short process ensures the integrity of the discussion and helps us conduct a more transparent and inclusive dialogue. Questions on registration can be directed to [email protected].

Tafadzwa  R Muropa
Tafadzwa R Muropa

1. there are limited opportunities where TSP can improve the lives of citizens, because there has not been a buy in from them in the initial place. The government needs to go on a robust campaign and inform the citizens why the TSP is a good policy document for addressing the country's macro economic challenges. 

The conducive environment for the investors to put their resources in specific sectors of the economy needs to be fully addressed. The price stabilization and the exchange rate needs to be stabilised. 

There is need to take stock of what worked and what didn't work over the years ,capture the learning curves and incorporate them into the TSP implementation plan. Academics who are not aligned to the government of the day must be engaged in these processes. There is also need to learn from how other African states have managed to implement similar policies, by engaging with regional economic communities such as SADC, ECOWAS, EAC  and the African Union

2.The government should create more linkages with non state actors including CSOs, CBOs , Academia working in  the economic governance sector not only in Harare but outside Harare (including the rural community) as well, and convene regular planning & monitoring processes. Only then can citizens be actively engaged in the process

The government needs to establish a robust social media strategy in order to capture the voices of young people and Zimbabweans abroad. Their contributions must be consolidated and acknowledged as well. 

The foreign embassies must be empowered with resources and skills in order to convene meaningful dialogue with Zimbabweans in the Diaspora on how the TSP can serve their interests. Kindly note that such dialogues should be impartial and non partisan .

 

3. Various stakeholders , with their different interests, must have the space to provide their views on how they can contribute to the TSP.This should even include the informal sector, the labour, the business community, communities affected by mining, farm workers, members of parliament, councillors, faith based communities, educators, academia, traditional leaders , political parties, youth formations, women's groups , people with disabilities , students , among other formations. Their views are critical towards the realization of the TSP.

The government must take a bold step in simplifying the TSP, and sharing information through their partners to citizens across Zimbabwe and in the Diaspora. Implementation and Monitoring plans should have collective ownership between state and non state actors 

Nokholo Mhluzani Matshazi
Nokholo Mhluzani Matshazi Moderator

Thank you for your input. I appreciate how your points show a wider view that cuts across various stakeholders. Considering what you have said above, do you think there's a role that civil society can play?

Tafadzwa  R Muropa
Tafadzwa R Muropa

Nokholo Mhluzani Matshazi Thanks for the feedback. Civil society can carry out an audit to assess the government's performance(developing a citizens' shadow report on the TSP).The audit will also offer alternatives on how the government can accelerate the implementation of the TSP. However, the TSP must be responsive to the current economic crisis that has negatively affecting citizens and pushing most of them to engage in risky behaviour including crime....

Nokholo Mhluzani Matshazi
Nokholo Mhluzani Matshazi Moderator

Good morning. Welcome to day two of the TSP discussions. If you are interested in browsing the TSP you may follow these links TSP abridged version or TSP full document.   

The Minister of Finance and Economic Development  also wrote an article that may assist you in understanding the economic blueprint. To read it, please click here

Nothando Mpofu Bozongwana
Nothando Mpofu Bozongwana

I was pleased to read that " Also critical will be our people in the Diaspora, whose participation in economic transformation initiatives goes beyond contribution through remittances and philanthropic work, and is targeted to include skills transfer and involvement in arising domestic investment opportunities".

It's good that government realises the need to rope in Zimbabweans in the diaspora not just diaspora investors. Now I wait for the Minister to walk the talk. As a person living outside Zimbabwe, I find the policy relevant to take the country forward, on paper it is everything that we need as a nation. Now we need a specific strategy that will ensure contributions from the diaspora, appreciating the gap plugged by this platform, I suggest that the parent ministry makes deliberate efforts to update us on progress and also offer an opportunity for us to be part of the evaluation process.  

 

Nokholo Mhluzani Matshazi
Nokholo Mhluzani Matshazi Moderator

I see that you find the policy relevant and yes this platform serves to promote understanding of the economic blueprint. You may also find the implementation discussion room interesting, judging from your input here, and maybe share what you feel the government should prioritise for citizens in the diaspora. 

Nancy Kachingwe
Nancy Kachingwe

I beg to differ that the TSP is okay on paper, but the problem is implementation. The TSP isn't going to work because its main premise--that the government can reboot the economy by attracting foreign direct investment--is completely faulty. Currently in terms of economic development policy, there are two broad schools:
- World Bank/IMF - neoliberal economics of fiscal consolidation/austerity, labour flexibilisation + market led development through ease of doing business reforms, reducing state intervention in the economy
- UN / development economists who are advocating redistributive fiscal expansion, but with public financing targeted at both social and economic sectors (cf. UNCTAD, UNDESA) in order to anchor an endogenous growth/development dynamic, eg by strengthening local demand.

At the heart of this for Zimbabwe and Africa is the question of how we finance development (in the UN this is under the Financing for Development conferences).


The FDI/market led approach to financing development is going to flounder simply because like other African countries, we don't have the requirements to attract large investments outside the extractive industry. Furthermore, transnational capital increasingly expects to be able to reap super profits-- with as few regulations imposed on it as possible--ie. a lax regulatory framework, favourable 'tax incentives' and minimal labour rights. 

Certainly foreign investment can be helpful, but surely we should ask what kind of investments we can realistically attract that will make a signficant (human) development impact? 

Rather than rely on expensive foreign investment, we should be encouraging the government to spend public resources in areas where investment is needed ... whether this is through provision of finance to the local private sector (commerce, industry, agriculture) or directly financing infrastructure and other economic development projects. Here again, many development economists will argue that public spending would in turn stimulate domestic and foreign investment in particular sectors (eg. tourism).

Many of us would probably agree that Zimbabwe generates enough wealth to be able to move forward development--perhaps not enough to make us the next economic miracle, but well enough to create a sustainable and inclusive growth dynamic.

In terms of 'becoming an upper middle income country, what exactly does that mean to any of us as a development goal anyway? I understand that it means we generate more wealth in general, but from what economic activity? to whose benefit? with what social impact? at what environmental cost? The TSP doesn't provide any clear development trajectory in response, if not simply leaving things open to the discredited theory of trickle down. 

We need to move away economic recipes that are now completely outdated and whose weaknesses have been exposed repeatedly--including in the developed countries. The neoliberal dogma of privatisation, deregulation, liberalisation and financialisation have proved to be disastrous and yet here we are, going down that exact pathway.

If civil society is to have a role, it should be to come up with alternatives--or at least be far far more critical about what is on the table. We need to come up with our own economic development blueprint, not some cut and paste template from a desk in Washington.

Nokholo Mhluzani Matshazi
Nokholo Mhluzani Matshazi Moderator

Totally understanding the issues that you have raised and the context therein, do you see any opportunities for the TSP (in its current state)? 

Nancy Kachingwe
Nancy Kachingwe

Sadly the TSP is based on very flawed economics (if one can even call it economics). What worries me is that we accept a lot of statements uncritically. For example, 6% GDP growth ... why 6%? and why are we even using GDP as a target measure when (i) the concept is very faulty in terms of assessing the health of the economy (ii) its even more faulty in an informalised economy like Zimbabwe where much economic activity is unrecorded. Why doesn't the TSP target the human development index, an internationally recognised target which constitutes a more complex/comprehensive way of measuring progress. Yes, the TSP follows the dogma that poverty can only be reduced if you have very high growth rates (something which in fact China and other countries have proved wrong). Rather its the other way around... countries with less poverty (ie better human development) will do better economically. 

What's the point of an economic programme that has no job creation strategy at all (and in fact may contribute to increased retrenchments)? 

Our poverty levels (for a country this small) are unacceptable... yes we have high literacy rates, but a secondary school completion is below 50%, our social spending (as a % of GDP) is below SADC counterparts ... the list goes on.

I don't have all the answers, but I do know that what we have on the table won't deliver the kind of change we ordinary citizens are looking for.
 

Where we might talk as civil society is having done a lot of citizens consultations, about the future we want, we haven't done enough work to elaborate ideas on the economic policy that will deliver it, but are being reactive to what the technocrats have put on the table. I hope that's a constructive suggestion on a way forward!

Nokholo Mhluzani Matshazi
Nokholo Mhluzani Matshazi Moderator

Nancy Kachingwe I get your observation that civil society is reactionary basically because we have passed the point where citizens can input into policy formulation. However, don't you think there's a role to be played by CSOs and citizens with regards to monitoring implementation, meaningfully contributing in upcoming processes? You could also browse the implementation discussion room to share some insight by clicking here

Jussa Kudherezera
Jussa Kudherezera

MAYA is saddened by the lucrative Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP) programme that seeks to stabilise the economy in Zimbabwe and stimulate growth. Currently at the time of going to press, the economy is down and the parallel market is ruling. Prices are skyrocketing and the noble goals for TSP have been shuttered. 

The youths are the most affected and have no idea where the promised jobs will come from. As long as we still have a disputed authority and the issue of legitimacy still hanging then we are far from being complete. No direct foreign  investment  will be lured to invest until we have a stable currency and a legitimate government and observing the rule of law and human rights.

Nokholo Mhluzani Matshazi
Nokholo Mhluzani Matshazi Moderator

Hi Jussa. You outline the current state of the country and I hear you. So considering the factors that you've mentioned and not knowing when they will improve do you think there are any strategies that the government may use to engage the youth? What strategies would you say should be adopted to ensure sustained participation of youth in the implementation of the TSP?

Jussa Kudherezera
Jussa Kudherezera

First and foremost the youths did not have the buy in when the TSP was formulated and perhaps they were not fully involved in its planning. In my view sustained participation of youths can be guaranteed by involving them in the national programs that have a direct effect tpo them like the economy where they expect to be involved in the business idea generation as well as being involved in mentorship actiovitioes that will equpi them for future engagement in business and other sectors. Youths are always on social media and these channeles can be used to engage them on several topics and also get a feedback from them so that they are well aware of what is coming . 

Nokholo Mhluzani Matshazi
Nokholo Mhluzani Matshazi Moderator

Welcome to #TSPtalk. I'm here to find out if you think the economic blueprint is relevant. Do you see the TSP contributing towards improvement of Zimbabweans' lives? What opportunities do you think the TSP presents?

Tafadzwa  R Muropa
Tafadzwa R Muropa

#TSPTalk The economic blueprint , as i stated before, did not have citizens' buy in, and would concur with what my colleague, Nancy Kachingwe , has stated. The government sets the agenda , instead of the citizens affected by these economic policies. if we can only get it right from the beginning, there would be ownership of the document. why not carry out a sectoral analysis of #TSP , and only then can the alternatives, based on people's realities, can be identified. The government will state that the TSP is a success , but based on their terms. Why can't we have a district/provincial consultative meeting on the TSP??? I think this can truly help. Can NANGO facilitate the  printing of the translated simplified version of the #TSPfor starters ? even an online version so that we can be well versed with it. Or maybe , each week we analyse specific sectors within the #TSP and interrogate it head on. Hope my submissions will be helpful

Nokholo Mhluzani Matshazi
Nokholo Mhluzani Matshazi Moderator

Thank you Tafadzwa. True, engagement and meaningful participation of citizens is very critical at policy formulation stage.

Also, these online discussions are not isolated. In the coming weeks we will resume public consultative meetings at district level with more or less similar objectives. The difference will be the target audience because we intend to ensure that there are TSP conversations even at community level. Yes, efforts will be made to translate the abridged version. This is where civil society organisations can also come in to compliment government efforts of improving access to policy documents. Thank you for your submissions.  

Nancy Kachingwe
Nancy Kachingwe

I just wanted to make a few comments on CSO participation and the TSP ... as raised by Tafadzwa, myself and in some of the responses from Nokholo... 

There's little point in taking all the trouble to 'simplify' the TSP for communities, especially if there hasn't been a critique of the programme by civil society actors... or indeed some preliminary positions in response. There are some things in the TSP that we would not actually want implemented anyway. So the agenda for community consultations has to be particularly well thought through. What concretely is on offer for various communities in the country? Women? Farmers? Informal Sector? Health? Education? Infrastructure? . You'll find that in many of these the TSP is big on rhetoric, but small on action. And on other fronts, where does the TSP fit in with other development policies, such as the National Gender Policy, the (now discarded?) Poverty Reduction Strategy.

Secondly, the TSP (which includes monetary and fiscal/tax policy) so far reflects the poor state of public policy management and planning... we have statements about a new currency that are continuously contradictory ... there's a lot of chopping and changing to adjust, which is not bad in itself, but there's an element of poor policy formulation in predicting outcomes.

Thirdly, there's a raft of new legislative reforms that are happening guided by the TSP and earlier agendas (from what I picked up from Veritas Bill Watch) , that require a certain capacity to analyse ... some of these are going through the pipeline. They are part of the TSP but not necessarily clear in the document, so in some ways the reach of the TSP is larger than the document itself. This in itself requires some level of expertise and tracking capacity to understand the implications of these bills. 

Finally over and above the issue of economic literacy, economic policy is may be more complicated to explain than for example a change in the constitution or legislation. The neoliberal lexicon has developed a raft of great sounding terms ... 'efficiency', macro-economic stability, fiscal discipline, widening the tax base, growth' which disguise specific policy measures, but for the ordinary person can be interpreted very differently. So before simplifying the TSP, one actually has to translate what this really means.

Anyway, rather than ask what does the TSP mean, it may be more useful to ask how will X, Y, or Z group benefit concretely and try to unpack it from there?

Nokholo Mhluzani Matshazi
Nokholo Mhluzani Matshazi Moderator

Hi Nancy, thank you for the comments and recommendations that you offer. Civil society has to stick to its mandate which is in line with offering civic education, providing information and learning experiences to equip and empower citizens to participate in democratic processes. With regards to the TSP, the role is to simplify and increase access to the policy document without analysing it. We appreciate it when the analysis comes from Zimbabwean citizens and experts, like you, in the respective fields that are affected by implementation of the TSP some of which you rightly listed (women, farmers, informal sector, health, education, infrastructure). There are other organisations that are playing a complimentary role while ensuring that citizens understand the TSP and are well equipped to monitor it's implementation. We are hoping that after understanding the TSP citizens can then be better positioned identify how they can concretely benefit in their different groups. 

Nancy Kachingwe
Nancy Kachingwe

Hi Nokholo
I hear you ... though I'm not sure its that easy to separate information sharing from analysis! But you are right, it's a collective effort where organisations come in with different roles and expertise. Either way, we should be aiming to democratise policy making, particularly economic policy.

I've attached an even more summarised powerpoint presentation of the TSP by the Minister from April 2019 (at the IMF/WB Spring Meetings I believe), that breaks it down and may be a bit easier to follow/track than the text versions, even though the presentation doesn't cover all the cross-cutting pillars (notably (i) social development and (ii) financing--or lack thereof). It might help as a basis for further simplification as a mini-guide to the TSP ...its useful to check the slides (32& 33) on the legislative reform agenda. 
 

To the question of responding to citizen's demands/interests, I'll restate that its really important for civil society to prioritise the nexus between the macro-economic policy measures and the socio-economic rights obligations/targets that the state has undertaken in the constitution and internationally. The absence of social development targets in the TSP should be a cause for alarm in terms of how communities will view its success.

Nokholo Mhluzani Matshazi
Nokholo Mhluzani Matshazi Moderator

It’s been a wonderful first week. Thank you to everyone who joined in the Relevance discussion room for the contributions, recommendations and questions.

As we end the day (and our first week on this platform) I’ll just summarise the discussion points from previous conversations. However, you can still feel free to add more, expand or repeat previous points if you think there’s need for it.

Some of the discussants concurred that not enough was done by the government to ensure that policy formulation was held following consultations with citizens. Tafadzwa said “there are limited opportunities where TSP can improve the lives of citizens, because there has not been a buy in from them in the initial place”. Nancy said “Where we might talk as civil society is having done a lot of citizens consultations, about the future we want, we haven't done enough work to elaborate ideas on the economic policy that will deliver it, but are being reactive to what the technocrats have put on the table. I hope that's a constructive suggestion on a way forward!” “First and foremost the youths did not have the buy in when the TSP was formulated and perhaps they were not fully involved in its planning”, said Jussy.

The discussions reflected that there is need for consultations at a broad level even geographically. For instance Nothando wrote “ Now we need a specific strategy that will ensure contributions from the diaspora, appreciating the gap plugged by this platform, I suggest that the parent ministry makes deliberate efforts to update us on progress and also offer an opportunity for us to be part of the evaluation process”.

Basically, there was consensus that civil society has a role to play. The discussants said “Civil society can carry out an audit to assess the government's performance(developing a citizens' shadow report on the TSP)”, “If civil society is to have a role, it should be to come up with alternatives--or at least be far far more critical about what is on the table” and “Can NANGO facilitate the  printing of the translated simplified version of the #TSP for starters? even an online version so that we can be well versed with it”. Despite that the tab is dedicated to discussions on the relevance of the TSP there were concerns about implementation and policy reform areas in this discussion room too. We appreciate that we cannot divorce relevance, implementation, policy reforms and transparency from each other.

Thanks to all that referred someone to the TSP discussion rooms. To another productive week of conversing!

Noreen Chenesai Mukora-Mangoma
Noreen Chenesai Mukora-Mangoma Moderator

Welcome to week 2 of online dialogue on the TSP. We continue to nurture a shared understanding among citizens and stakeholders on the reforms and policy responses in the TSP. Your insights are important in enhancing the understanding of the TSP among fellow citizens; contribute input into future development plans and expand scope for engagement and accountability among stakeholders on the planning, monitoring and implementation of the TSP. 

 

Please feel free to comment in as many threads, and respond to as many questions, as you like. Though the consultation will largely be hosted in English, comments in some of the local languages are also welcomed. We are planning a multi-stakeholder platform at the end of July where participants from the online dialogue will be invited to participate.

 

Links to abridged version of the TSP and other related documents will be provided. We also encourage you to share the link to your colleagues, friends and family members so that they can also participate.

https://t792ae.c2.acecdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Abridged_TRANSITIONAL-STABILISATION-PROGRAMME.pdf 

http://www.zimtreasury.gov.zw/index.php/resources/downloads/category/9-transitional-stabilisation-program

 

Jussa Kudherezera
Jussa Kudherezera

First and foremost the youths did not have the buy in when the TSP was formulated and perhaps they were not fully involved in its planning. In my view sustained participation of youths can be guaranteed by involving them in the national programs that have a direct effect to them like the economy where they expect to be involved in the business idea generation as well as being involved in mentorship activities that will equip them for future engagement in business and other sectors. Youths are always on social media and these channels can be used to engage them on several topics and also get a feedback from them so that they are well aware of what is coming. 

Noreen Chenesai Mukora-Mangoma
Noreen Chenesai Mukora-Mangoma Moderator

Thank you Jussa for sharing your observations. Following up on your observation kindly share your thoughts on the following;

1. How can buy in from the youth be obtained?

2. How do your think the youth can be engaged further in the TSP?

3.  Given the demographic of our country that lands most youth with no access to social media, how would we engage the offline youths?

4. Social media is an important platform, how do you think the youth can use Social Media to engage national dialogue issues such as discussing the TSP?

Nokholo Mhluzani Matshazi
Nokholo Mhluzani Matshazi Moderator

As we wind up the week we realise that print and broadcast media play a very critical role of informing and educating.  As the nation gears to monitor government implementation of the TSP it's very important for different media houses to ensure that citizens are well informed of the relevance TSP. Here the Herald newspaper explains how reconfiguring cabinet committees impacts on the TSP implementation. 

Emmanuel Chinembiri
Emmanuel Chinembiri Moderator

Welcome to Week 3 of online dialogue on the TSP. Thank you for the insights so far we urge you to continue to contribute your thoughts to expand the dialogue as far as we can within the given time of the dialogue. Enhancing the understanding of the TSP among fellow citizens; remains key to this dialogue and beyond.

Please feel free to comment in as many threads, and respond to as many questions as you like. Though the consultation will largely be hosted in English, comments in some of the local languages are also welcomed. We are planning a multi-stakeholder platform at the end of July where participants from the online dialogue will be invited to participate. 

Links to abridged version of the TSP. We also encourage you to share the link to your colleagues, friends and family members so that they can also participate.

Noreen Chenesai Mukora-Mangoma
Noreen Chenesai Mukora-Mangoma Moderator

Thank you for your participation this week.

This week we learned that there is a need to include the youth not only in the discussion of the TSP but it was fundamental to include them in the drafting. With a youth population of over 62% the voice of the youth is important to decision making. 

As we enter this week of dialogue, may we  continue interrogating some of the fundamental questions brought up during this week. 

These questions are;

1. How can buy in from the youth be obtained?

2. How do your think the youth can be engaged further in the TSP?

3.  Given the demographic of our country that lands most youth with no access to social media, how would we engage the offline youths?

4. Social media is an important platform, how do you think the youth can use Social Media to engage national dialogue issues such as discussing the TSP?

Thank you all for engaging in the dialogue. Looking forward to another productive week of dialogue.

 

Reply

Ntando
Ntando

Question 1. The TSP for the first time in many years recognizes that Zimbabwe needs investors from both the East and Western world..this again gives opportunity for local investors to flourish.in the short term,my prognosis is that the most vulnerable will suffer as the taxing regime at present has negative effects as it is high particularly for low income earners ,.hopefully the taxes will be used to good use

Question 2. The Government should deliberately support local business particularly in the productive sector while at the same time opening borders to support the informal sectors.Foreign currency earners such as tobacco farmers should be given incentives to grow the sector

Question 3. Stakeholders can contribute to the success of TSP by shunning corruption through self -monitoring and self regulation.secondly stakeholders can contribute by working tirelessly particularly in the production sectors such as mining ,manufacturing and agriculture.

Emmanuel Chinembiri
Emmanuel Chinembiri Moderator

Thank you Ntando  for sharing your views. In you response to question 1, how should taxes be used to benefit the low income erners. 

Fadzai Traquino
Fadzai Traquino

Dissemination of information - government programmes and policies  to communities in simplified manner  and local languages will be useful to improve citizen participation in government programmes.

Social accountability can only be achieved if we improve access to information - the key gaps to achieve outcomes in TSP is by strengthening social accountability mechanisms. 

Emmanuel Chinembiri
Emmanuel Chinembiri Moderator

Thank you Fadzai for your contrubution, indeed information dissermination is crucial. Do you have suggestions on effective platorms of communication that the Government should use in order to reach citizens. 

Nomathemba Ndlovu
Nomathemba Ndlovu

In order engage the youth there is need to find creative and innovative way that include robust social media campaigns that will ignite the excitment of the youth.

there is need for empowerment activities such as capacity building and capacity development, knowledge management and experience sharing in simpler innovative ways that includes the use of local languages and consultations.

There is need to build partnerships with youth for fostering innovations and supporting youth leadership. Additionally, efforts should be made to pilot innovative progammes and activities, 

there is need to creat enabling environment for continuos and constant engagement of youth in law and policy, development, implementation and monitoring and evaluation.

Noreen Chenesai Mukora-Mangoma
Noreen Chenesai Mukora-Mangoma Moderator

Thank you Nomathemba for your insightful and practical  views on how to engage the youth.  The youth voice certainly matters. Practically, imagine a scenario where they are successfully engaged, what in your sense are the priority areas that the youth should articulate?

Laureate Dube
Laureate Dube

Getting effective youth participation and buy-in would require the government to appeal to the platforms most youth engage in by creating innovative and creative ways to involve them in the idea creation and implementation activities. Creative social media campaigns done by the youth themselves and with possible reward system built in ; bulk awareness sms and ussd for the offline youth are just but a few practical examples of how to implement. Government needs to win the trust of the youth in order to get participation from them

Noreen Chenesai Mukora-Mangoma
Noreen Chenesai Mukora-Mangoma Moderator

That is true, we need to meet them where they are! If your may explain further please, what would a successful youth engagement look and feel like? That is how would we know that the youth has been successfully engaged?

Nigel Slick Maritinyu
Nigel Slick Maritinyu

I am a young entrepreneur,aged 27. I import electronic goods at a small scale from Dubai and China.Lately my business has been greatly affected by the policies implemented by the government.I may have many issues but the biggest and most recent is that of ruling foreign currency as illegal tender. It makes no business sense to import goods using US dollars and sell them using local currency ,which is not even an actual currency. I am a recent graduate but I cannot even consider job hunting,the government is making it hard for companies to survive,let alone hire any new employees.

Emmanuel Chinembiri
Emmanuel Chinembiri Moderator

Thank you Nigel Slick Maritinyu for sharing your experience. As an entrepreneur what measures do you think the Government should put in place to ensure that your business remains viable?

Kelvin Trinity Karumazondo
Kelvin Trinity Karumazondo

TSP is a great blueprint on paper on paper just like ZIMASSET,but in reality/its relevance is far mile away from attaining its targeted goals due to the following reasons :

1)lack information disemination amongst Zim population including youth and rural population thus the policy is not known amongst the most critical drivers of the economy

2)policy inconisistence-e.g the recent banning of paying services and goods using the foreign currency

3)corruption-corruption levels amongst citizens and state institutions had crippled the process of rescisitating the economy to a greater extent and the inability to curb corruption had scared both local and international investors thus depriving much needed forex

4)Volatile macro economic enviroment-for TSP to achieve its targeted goals,the micro and macro economic enviroment must be stable and conducive but in Zimbabwe it hasnt thus resulting in TSP becoming more irrelevant

Thus for TSP to achieve its set target,the government must take a holistic approach in creating a conducive enviroment,hanersing input from all critical stakeholers in terms of policy formulation as well extensively marketing the idea of TSP to all corners of Zimbabwe translated into local languages and nor in english only

Emmanuel Chinembiri
Emmanuel Chinembiri Moderator

Welcome to Week 4 of our online dialogue.  We continue the conversations to engage Zimbabweans on the TSP and gather insights on better citizen understanding of the Programme.  Your responses will help to ensure an enhanced understanding of the TSP among citizens, civil society, the private sector and other non-state actors; contribute input into future development plans and expand scope for engagement and accountability among stakeholders on the planning, monitoring and implementation of the TSP. 

 

Please feel free to comment in as many threads, and respond to as many or as few questions, as you like. Though the consultation will largely be hosted in English, comments in other local languages are also welcomed. 

Ashleigh
Ashleigh

The TSP sounds good on paper but has not been practically relevant or perhaps the implementation has not yet started since October 2018.Just to pick few areas, there has not been anything tangible in terms of improving the health sector, they want to construct more health centers which is a noble idea but primary focus should rather be to improve facilities in the existing health centers including the major hospitals in the country where there is no medication, water and other necessities. Millions were injected towards the  recapitalisation of NRZ but results have not been seen so far.

Nigel Slick Maritinyu
Nigel Slick Maritinyu

There is very huge gap that needs to be bridged between the theories forwarded in the TSP and the realistic,actual implementation of the policies.Secondly ,a lot leaves to be desired by the manner in which information is disseminated to the common man.A lot of institutions and systems take advantage of the lack of clarity and disadvantage a lot of ignorant citizens.

Kelvin Trinity Karumazondo
Kelvin Trinity Karumazondo

the TSP advocate continual revival of the health sector through capital expenditure of machinery and ensuring mantaining a motivated workforce but in reality little has been done procuring hospital machine thus resulting in people seeking medical assistance outside the country as well as having a demoralised workfoce.The situation is also the same in education sector and other Civil Service thus resulting in deviating from the blueprint

 

there is lack of value addition on minerals and agric products like tobaco as it is exported in its raw state thus depriving the country of higher muche needed forex

smuggling of raw minerals through porous border posts has also resulted in the country losing a lot millions

Emmanuel Chinembiri
Emmanuel Chinembiri Moderator

Thank you Kelvin Trinity Karumazondo for sharing your contribution. Do you have any suggestions on what the Government should do to address looting of resources.

Princetanaka Chiguvare
Princetanaka Chiguvare

The TSP has been implemented since October 2018 till December 2020 and its aims to ensure economic growth has not yet been seen. As a Political Science student i see this programme as good on paper with a lot of opportunites and yet in reality it seems to make the citizens suffer more through higher taxations and austerity measures.

Only if the issues in the programme are addressed in their entirety without cutting corners or favouring certain personnel, is when this programme can benefit the nation and citizens  through employment creation and social development. On the corruption index Zimbabwe ranks very low and this has to be changed if we need the opportunities in this project to be unlocked for the benefit of the nation.

I suggest that the civil society be more involved in the checking of the government and the implentation of its policies. Agencies like ZIDA needs to be scrutinised and there is massive need for transparency  and issuance of investment licences among other issues, these are all key if the country is to get back on track.

The TSP has a lot of projects which are mentioned in it, which require lots of money in sectors like energy, housing and health and the securing of the capital in those projects must be made sure that it will not leave the nation in a debt trap like how countries like Sri Lanka have suffered. Huge projects like the Batoka Gorge energy issue requires huge capital but the civil society must make sure that the government does not endulge in bad policies which might result in the increament of taxes on the population.

So as a student i few like the opportunities are there for all term projects but there is need to uproot all the weeds in the garden, which includes corruption, nepotism and partisanship in projects to mention but a few. If these are rooted out, then the nation can benefit from better healthcare, education and social welfare. The projects mentioned in the TSP can create a lot of employment and revenue for the state which will help it in attaining its 2030 goals.

Gift Ntuli
Gift Ntuli

I agree Prince Tanaka that the big issue is the lack of trust that exists between the government and the people of Zimbabwe. I recall minister Mthuli Ncube emphasizing that the TSP would bring some growing pains. True, this could be what we are experiencing now, but either was how do you convince a nation that has so much distrust for the government. One way maybe would be for the TSP to have a robust monitoring and reporting framework. A honest and frequent report bimonthly to update the public and quench worry/paranoia.What else would you suggest is done to ensure a smooth acceptance of the TSP by the doubtful public? 

Princetanaka Chiguvare
Princetanaka Chiguvare

Gift Ntuli i think the new dispensation must be more efficient in terms of policy consultations, drafting, passing and the enforcement. In New Zealand it took 10 days to draft and pass a gun control bill which shows the passion of the leaders to change their nation to a better one but in Zimbabwe it takes more than 4 months to pass legislation.

So legislation which has to do with dealing with corruption, is supposed to be enforced to the greatest lengths. Corruption cases take more than 12 months to complete in the courts and this shows how difficult it can be to change the nation. Checks and balances on the agancies doing the projects must be transparent on websites and all audits must be made public. Those found guilty of corruption must be investigated and jailed without wasting much time and it will increase confidence in the government if transparency is added to the table.

Nokholo Mhluzani Matshazi
Nokholo Mhluzani Matshazi Moderator

Princetanaka Chiguvare @Gift Ntuli you are very clear on the role of government, especifically Ministry of Finance, uprooting corruption and nepotism among other things. What role do you see for citizens like you and I?

Princetanaka Chiguvare
Princetanaka Chiguvare

I think that we as citizens must fight for accountability, petition the government and relevant ministries to reveal their financials and budgets and all the audits that takes place. We must also demand that they take action on the accused personnel who are dragging the nation back for personal benefit. I believe petitions work as pressure to the government and exposure of all corrupt activities within the government and outside. If this does not work, the citizens has a constitutional right to peacefully demonstrate in expression to the poor handling of criminals and policies. As a student of Political Science i believe in social discussions and coming up with solutions by the citizens which will then be tabled before parliament.

Gift Ntuli
Gift Ntuli

In addition to that we should also encourage transparency in our every day lives. Words like kukorokoza do not help at all as they justify certain behaviors. This will require a total shift in culture, something doable, but will take a long time. A good start could be targeting the young generation in schools and also at home.