The TSP outlines policy reform initiatives and programmes aimed at transforming the economy to position the country towards an upper middle income status by 2030.

The 7 key reform areas and policy responses include: 

  1. Governance;
  2. Human Development;
  3. Public Infrastructure Investment;
  4. Productive Sector;
  5. Social Services Sector;
  6. Institutional Reforms; and 
  7. Policies for Dealing with Macroeconomic Imbalances.

With the above background  in mind: 

  1. How would you prioritise the seven reform and policy areas presented in the TSP?
  2. What do you think is the role of citizenry in contributing towards the realisation of the reforms presented in the TSP?
  3. What do you envisage as the bottlenecks in the attainment of the reforms in the TSP?

 

3 Jun 2019 - 24 Jul 2019

Comments (57)

 Keane Matenga
Keane Matenga 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].
 

Jussy
Jussy

Question

1. On institutional reforms, the ordinary people are yet to enjoy the fruits of the so called institutional reforms. although the was a cut in the Ministry of Youth the wage bill is still unsustainable. 

2. I think the general populace should play a crucial role in monitoring the reforms of the TSP. 

3. Issue lake of political will to implement some of the reforms, 

Thanks

 Keane Matenga
Keane Matenga Moderator

Thank you for your insightful comment.From your second response, how does the general population monitor the reforms? and at what level?

Tafadzwa  R Muropa
Tafadzwa R Muropa

Question 1:Below are my responses in order of priority;

1.Institutional Reforms 

2.Policies for dealing with Macro Economic  balances

3.Governance

4.Human Development 

5.Productive Sector

6.Social Service Delivery

7.Public Infrastructure Investment 

 

Question 2: these reforms should benefit the citizens at the end of the day, since the government's role is to serve the interests of its citizens. The TSP ,I feel, was designed without having incorporated the priorities of the citizens from Zimbabweans ,home and abroad. So how can citizens contribute to the realization of the reforms when they were not part of the formulation in the first place? If these consultations did take place, they did not reach out to those who are negatively affected by these reforms

However, even though we now have the TSPs, the line government ministries must fully mobilise resources and engage non state actors across Zimbabwe and beyond(online), in order to prioritise the areas that need greater attention. There is need to finance monitoring exercises to assess progress made and there should be ownership of the entire process

Secondly, a robust media campaign to publicise the TSPs in all languages must take place. The policy document needs to be simplifed for people to have an appreciation of what is at stake.

Thirdly, the parliamentary portfolio committees aligned to the specific reform areas must be equipped with skills to interrogate the policy document and propose alternatives to the TSP 

 

3. Bottlenecks include - (i)lack of political will by the state to allow citizens to critically provide ideas and solutions on how the TSP could be implemented.In other words, the shrinking civic space makes it very difficult for citizens to openly use peaceful strategies in interrogating ways of ensuring that citizens have ownership of the document .Most spaces are occupied by foreign and local investors, international community and the government ,with little representation from the community or the academia that can offer alternative views. this needs to change 

(ii) no clear media campaign to publicise the TSP 

 

 Keane Matenga
Keane Matenga Moderator

Thank you Tafadzwa for your clear and insightful comment on the TSP.On monitoring of progress on reforms you said,'There is need to finance monitoring exercises to assess progress made and there should be ownership of the entire process'.Who do you propose does the monitoring and at what level,the CSOs?Government?

Ntando
Ntando

Question 2

Implementation of concrete plans which enables our environment to easily harness entrepreneurship which has the potential of creating jobs for the youths supporting economy at large.

 Keane Matenga
Keane Matenga Moderator

Thank you Ntando for your insightful contribution on how the youth can benefit from the TSP.I am also interested in getting your response to the following questions:

  1. How would you prioritise the seven reform and policy areas presented in the TSP?
  2. What do you envisage as the bottlenecks in the attainment of the reforms in the TSP?
Ntando
Ntando

Keane Matenga 

Question1:

Productive sector

Social services sector

Institutional reforms;and 

Policies for dealing with Macroeconomic imbalances

Governance

Human development

Public infrastructure investment

Question 2

There is deficit of trust among the citizens and politicians(bureaucrats)

 

Clemence Mutegeri
Clemence Mutegeri

The best way to address high unemployment in the country is entrepreneurship but the currency crisis is playing down many entrepreneurial endevors...

 Keane Matenga
Keane Matenga Moderator

Hello Ntando,on the bottleneck you noted above,on trust deficit,what strategies would you say should be adopted to the ensure that its resolved?

Ntando
Ntando

Keane Matenga

 Target the eradication of corruption issues which is a major source of leakages to various productive activities.

Frequent dialogues so as to work on transparency and accountability measures, people should constantly be involved 

Strengthen institutions

Moment Ngwenya
Moment Ngwenya
The TSP is yet to have a tangible economic improvement to me,maybe with time l will get to understand it.l doubt if the government is aware of the real progress on the ground.lt will be great to hear from them about their policy.The new dispensation is yet to reform so eish......
Tafadzwa Muswati
Tafadzwa Muswati

Question 1. - My order of priority:

  1. Governance
  2. Policies for dealing with macro-economic imbalances
  3. Institutional reforms
  4. Human development
  5. Productive sector
  6. Social service delivery
  7. Public infrastructure investment

Question 2. - Role of citizenry in contributing towards TSP reforms:

As indicated in one of the previous replies, the citizens of Zimbabwe have (and should be allowed) a substantial stake in the development of the nation. On a sidenote, given that one of the priorities of the TSP key reform areas is Human Development, there is a need to utilise the already existing human capital (especially our young and vibrant academics) who have not been allowed an opportunity to invest in their nation following the unsatisfactory economic atmosphere. However, given the prevailing economic situation, sustainable human development should now aim on developing people's entrepreneurial skills for self sustenance, since it has become counter-productive for citizens to rely solely on the government for accessing employment opportunities. 

Question 3. - Bottlenecks in attaining TPS goals.

  1. There is a hostile relationship between the government and the citizens that needs to be addressed so that constructive discourse can be made going forward. 
  2. Some citizens have already issued a "vote of no confidence" to the current government and will perceive any narrative of development (eg. TSP) as just another empty rhetoric.
  3. In the face of a failing local market trade, the government's import laws (i.e - duty and tax) have been counter-productive in encouraging alternative means to accessing basic commodities. 
  4. Arguably, the TSP document and its overall agenda may not be clear to the average citizen thereby discouraging optimum stakeholder cooperation and inclusiveness. 

 

 

 Keane Matenga
Keane Matenga Moderator

Thank you Tafadzwa for your input. From your response, I see that you say that 'sustainable human development should now aim at developing people's entrepreneurial skills for self-sustenance', how do you think the TSP should speak in this direction of policy, against a background of high unemployment even among college graduates and rising inflation rates?

Do you think the proposed productive sector reforms of the TSP speaks to what ordinary citizens want? Is it holistic and moving with time?

Ntando
Ntando

Yes it actually speaks to the citizens but because nothing good has not yet been brought to the table we cant tell if its moving with time or we just rotating at one place.

 

Clemence Mutegeri
Clemence Mutegeri

According to the 2010 OECD paper on how to make reform happen, cross-cutting evidence and lessons do not yield any universal "toolkit" for reformers, or even suggest that such a toolkit exists, it does, however, point to a number of striking regularities in the way reform processes unfold. Thus, to start with, it is important to have an 'electoral mandate' for reform hence 'Governance' will rank first on the 7 key reform areas and policy responses.

The evidence from findings suggests that an 'electoral mandate' appears to be most important in respect of reforms that are all encompassing (labor markets, pensions, environment), including those that affect basic public services (health care, education, public administration). And in the context of Zimbabwe, country-specific evidence has it that electoral reforms are paramount. It is inevitably true that it is not enough to win an election or command a parliamentary majority: undoubtedly, it also matters a great deal if the government has made the case for reform to the voters ahead of an election.

 Keane Matenga
Keane Matenga Moderator

Thank for your input on the importance of electoral mandate in respect to reforms.However I am eager to get your views on the following questions:

  1. What do you think is the role of citizenry in contributing towards the realisation of the reforms presented in the TSP?
  2. What do you envisage as the bottlenecks in the attainment of the reforms in the TSP?
Clemence Mutegeri
Clemence Mutegeri

In response to the first question, it is generally agreed that citizenry play an integral role in reform processes. To the end of realisation of the reforms presented in the TSP, citizenry play the fundamental role of acting as 'Political Voice' (which is the ability to express your views and interests and to influence policy and decision-making processes) and the means to effect change. Being a fully informed and aware population, Zimbabweans can actively participate in political processes, holding the state to account and exercise rights and responsibilities effectively. This political voice will be indispensable for strengthening the quality of (democratic) governance and the nature of state-society relations. People's capacity to express and exercise their views has the potential to influence governance (number one priority key reform area and policy response in the TSP), making them more participatory and representative. By increasing demands for accountability and transparency, voice can also influence government priorities, provide an important corrective to public policy and encourage consensus building on key issues of national concern. However, to the end of realisation of the reforms presented in the TSP, political voice is not just about 'polite debate', thus it can be channeled in ways that are more contentious and disruptive - and even violent (protests, uprisings and social mobilisation.

Clemence Mutegeri
Clemence Mutegeri

In response to the second question, bottlenecks in the attainment of the reforms in the TSP are, in the main, structural and infrastructural. and many a time affected by the time frame since it is undoubtedly clear that successful reforms often require several attempts and structural successful reforms take time. Experience has it that, many of the least successful reform attempts were undertaken in haste. Bottlenecks in, or impediments to, the attainment of the reforms in the TSP include, inter alia, lack of electoral mandate, lack of sound public finances, lack of effective communication, lack of solid research and analysis, non-independent central bank and fiscal institutions, poor and weak leadership, underdeveloped institutions and opponents of reform. 

The most notable bottleneck or impediment to attainment of reforms (especially, governance reforms) in the TSP is lack of electoral mandate to start with. It is inevitably important to have an electoral mandate for reform - and this should be coupled with political will which lacks in Zimbabwe and is a further impediment to attainment of the reforms.

Another great impediment to the attainment of the reforms in the TSP is lack of sound public finances in Zimbabwe. The country is currently bedeviled with debt (external and internal) overhang rendering attainment of most, if not all, of the reforms in the TSP illusory. Research has it, and it is generally agreed that there is positive correlation between sound public finances and reform progress.

Lack of effective communication is yet another very likely bottleneck in the attainment of the reforms in the TSP. Effective communication is essential and integral to the attainment of the reforms and any lacking of this will be a huge impediment to the success of the key reform areas. From empirical cross-country evidence, successful reforms have usually been accompanied by consistent co-ordinated effort to persuade voters and stakeholders of the need for reform and ,in particular, to communicate the costs of non-reform.

Through the years, country has had low investment in research and development and lack of solid research and analysis would impede attainment of the reforms in the TSP. To the end of attainment of reforms, policy design must be underpinned by solid research and analysis. Policy design and strategies for reform adoption need to reflect the specific institutional and cultural context of Zimbabwe. Differences in demographic and economic performance may point to somewhat different reform solutions since the content and context of reform varies hence need for solid research and analysis.

For the TSP reform area of 'Policies for Dealing with Macroeconomic Imbalances', there is need for independence of the central bank (Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe) and fiscal institutions to the end of a success story in this key reform area. Thus, the non-independent central bank and fiscal institutions of Zimbabwe i a bottleneck that will impede attainment of reform in the TSP

To any reform process, leadership is critical hence there is need for strong leadership for successful attainment of the reform in the TSP. Strong leadership, whether by an individual policy maker or an institution charged with carrying out the reform is important and such may lack in the reforms in the TSP. In the same way, government cohesion in support of reform is, for certain, important. If the government is notunited around a reform proposal, it will send out mixed messages, and opponents will exploit its divisions and defeat of the reforms in the TSP will be the result. It is also generally agreed that successful leadership is about winning consent rather than securing compliance

Since attainment of independence, Zimbabwe has been lagging behind in institutional development and this will act as yet another huge bottleneck in the attainment of the reforms in the TSP. In principle, appropriate institutions are needed to make the transition from decision to implementation in the reform processes.

Last, but not least, it is important and usually pays to engage the opponents of reform rather than simply trying to override their opposition. For all that, the question of whether, when and how to compensate the losers from reform requires careful consideration.

In conclusion, challenges or bottlenecks in the attainment of the reforms in the TSP are most likely to be in terms of scope, scale, complexity including path dependence, long time lags, co-ordination among different levels of government and the need to win the support of public sector stakeholders will be directly affected by the reform.

Mutsa Samuel
Mutsa Samuel

When I worked as a management consultant I was told the pillars of any system (be in business , government , society, nation or continent ) are people , processes Nd technology. The most important being people , for they allow the others to function . So when it comes to reforms the focus must be on the people . 

So Human Development is the foundation of if all. To be honest I cannot list the others in terms of priority as this also depends on context . I don’t think there is a blanket solution for the nation. There should be bespoke approaches based on provincial and even town needs. Basically reform needs to be more personal and based off of the specific needs of a people . 

 

Ntando
Ntando

Yes to agree with you Mutsa Samuel, people are actually the centre of it all and issues like  medication should be considered in this TSP cause people are happy when they are healthy but if a deaf ear is being put to this then we are not going anywhere as a nation

Also students at universities and colleges were long back promised grants but still no action has yet been taken , and with this current situation in our nation most intern students are not getting paid but they are expected to be on attachment which recquires them to cover busfares to reach their respective workplaces , but if they don't even get transport money uhmmmm how then are they being developed?

 Keane Matenga
Keane Matenga Moderator

Thank you Ntando for your input, from your response, human capital development of the TSP does not speak to alleviate the plight of students particularly those in higher and tertiary institutions,what is your proposal to government throguh the TSP to rectify it? 

Ntando
Ntando

Keane Matenga as part of the reform agenda,TSP should have included tax rebates or incentives for companies that pay for student scholarships, employ students  for attachment and then the government  meets companies halfway like what Zimdef does for Polytechnic students which is a good thing but it should not only be done for poly students  but also University students.

 Keane Matenga
Keane Matenga Moderator

Thank you for your contribution particularly the reforms must be people centred and driven.l would like to hear from you on what you envisage as the bottlenecks in the attainment of the reforms in the TSP?

Mutsa Samuel
Mutsa Samuel

Bottlenecks are in our low governance index . There is a lag when it comes to implementing a policy and that boils down to processes that have not been streamlined. The lack of electronic systems means things are still done manually. If they are done manually then the mindset of the people implementing has not been exposed to current trends and best practices. So again it boils down to the people . What have they been exposed to ? Are they getting the right training in relevant skills for the 21st century ( critical thinking , creativity, design thinking, complex problem solving  )?  

Because with bottlenecks you cannot point to one problem and fix it with one solution, there are again numerous factors to consider . But what can change is priming the people who will approve and apply the processes to think feel and learn differently . 

 

 

 Keane Matenga
Keane Matenga Moderator

Thank you Samuel for your valuable input. On bottlenecks in our low governance index that you mentioned, what do you think is the role of civil society to rectify it?

Mutsa Samuel
Mutsa Samuel

The role of civil society in fixing bottle necks is to start a revolution! But not in the traditional (often violent and disruptive) sense. But a Zimbabwean poet, Black Anakin, once said " the mind of a child is where the revolution begins.."  This means cicil society should play in the space they are most influencial: the mind and consciousness of her people.

This mean redefining things like education (what are we teaching our kids at home , is education only knowing how to read and write, is it only done at school ?) Its redefining what stories we tell about ourselves (read the newspapers- how many positive and uplifting headlines do we read- what if every newspaper had to have a positive pan-african message on their front page before people opened it to the news?). Its shifting our environment (more constant collective clean-ups, recycling and encouraging walking ).  Its tweaking little things that ,over time , a generation will know then as the norm. Its understanding the long tern goal and asking the difficult question: WHAT DOES ZIMBABWE LOOK LIKE IN 100 YEARS? And what is my role in making this possible? Because in the end, its not about us... So civil society needs to recognize its influence and power (ability to impact another) irrespective of govenment and business. Its role is to constantly re-define what it means to be Zimbabwean and African. 

Ntando
Ntando

I have read the TSP and understood that austerity has never been a walk in the park. Beyond  the economic turbulence there is prosperity. However these reforms have to be implemented by all stakeholders.

 Keane Matenga
Keane Matenga Moderator

Thank you Ntando for your input, but just as a follow-up question, at present do you feel that the austerity measures are being felt by all(classes) in Zimbabwe?This is particularly important because in the end reforms have to be everyone's responsibility to be successful(in good and in bad times).

Nancy Kachingwe
Nancy Kachingwe

Priorities
1. Human development (particularly gender equality)

2. Social services 

3. Productive and (reproductive) sector

4. Public infrastructure, which should also include climate change resilience and adaptation and natural resource management (on the same level with 3 above) 

5 & 6.  Institutional reforms and governance

7. Macro-economic policy / imbalances

I've put macro economic policy imbalances last because these are simply a manifestation of failures of 1-6 above. 

Also for the record, I'm not in agreement with a lot of what is in the TSP regarding 1-7!

1. Human development - mentioned but not funded... no clear job creation/employment/poverty eradication plan. women's empowerment narrowed down to micro-credit at impossible interest rates. No mention of implementation of the national youth and gender policies. No social targets around health and education coverage. It worth noting that diaspora remittances are the 2nd source of forex, even though that's an unfortunate and painful example of the long term benefits of strong human development policies.

2. Social services - in a crisis mode, also not funded or prioritised apart from very minimal donor dependent projects, regardless of the Bill of Rights in the Constitution and the State's primary function as a guarantor of economic and social rights.

3. Productive and reproductive sectors: no mention of the care and subsistence economies which support household production/reproduction through women's unpaid labour. Over-reliance on external investment that is unlikely to materialise, or will continue the colonial extractive dependent / exploitation / dispossession. Not very clear about the new land reform plan apart from compensating white farmers.

4. Public infrastructure: should rely on public investment and is potentially a high employment earner. Government should aim to recruit necessary technical/engineering etc skills, invest in research and development to ensure climate adaptive infrastructure and invest heavily in natural resource management, particularly water and biodiversity.

5&6. Institutional reforms and governance: tough one, but not impossible to crack. We must not fall into the racist/imperialist trap that would have us believe that the African state is inherently corrupt and should therefore have its role limited to a few very narrow functions--security, facilitating transnational investment. I fundamentally disagree with the  TSP approach of "transforming to a private sector led economy" -- which we are anyway, its just that a lot of what is private is informal! Also many private operators have had to come in to fill in the gaps of state disinvestment in public infrastructure, goods and services provision!

7. Macro-economic policy: There needs to be a distinction between public spending and public mis-spending. Public spending (including increased deficits) is not in and of itself a  bad thing, the problem is where the money goes. 

To add to bottlenecks--the IMF and the World Bank. The TSP is pretty much a cut and paste template of WB/IMF austerity prescriptions. Anything outside of that will not get their stamp of approval. I hope the TNF will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to work together better to find a homegrown, democratically owned and popularly supported economic development pathway and that we as civil society build autonomous policy capacity to put forward alternatives... 

I'm attaching a report from UN Research Institute for Social Development, which while not homegrown is more sympathetic to the needs of developing countries than the obsessive market driven approach of the IMF and World Bank... 

 Keane Matenga
Keane Matenga Moderator

Thank you Nancy for your very insightful and well thought input and the attached document.l would like to know what you feel are the bottlenecks towards fulfilling TSP reforms.

Maureen Shonge
Maureen Shonge 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.

 Keane Matenga
Keane Matenga Moderator

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

 

As we end 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 a need for it.

 

It is evident from the discussion that priorities of the seven reform and policy areas presented in the TSP differ from participant to participant. For example, Tafadzwa R Muropa listed her priorities as follows, 1.Institutional Reforms 2.Policies for dealing with Macro Economic balances 3.Governance 4.Human Development 5.Productive Sector 6.Social Service Delivery 7.Public Infrastructure Investment.Whereas in comparison Tafadzwa Muswati wrote, 1.Governance,2.Policies for dealing with macro-economic imbalances,3.Institutional reforms, 4.Human development,5.Productive sector,6. Social service delivery and 7.Public infrastructure investment.

 

On the role of citizenry in contributing towards the realisation of the reforms presented in the TSP, there was a general consensus that there is a role to play, for example, Jussy wrote, “ I think the general populace should play a crucial role in monitoring the reforms of the TSP”.This was supported by Tafadzwa Muswati who wrote, “the citizens of Zimbabwe have (and should be allowed) a substantial stake in the development of the nation”. 

 

Some of the discussants though acknowledging citizens have a role to play, view that the government left them out in the TSP formulation. For instance, R Muropa wrote, ‘these reforms should benefit the citizens at the end of the day since the government's role is to serve the interests of its citizens. The TSP, I feel, was designed without having incorporated the priorities of the citizens from Zimbabweans, home and abroad. So how can citizens contribute to the realization of the reforms when they were not part of the formulation in the first place? If these consultations did take place, they did not reach out to those who are negatively affected by these reforms”.

 

Some discussants are yet to grasp how the TSP works and what it is, and as such  they are  yet to see the role that TSP is playing in their livelihoods, for example, Moment Ngwenya wrote, “ The TSP is yet to have a tangible economic improvement to me, maybe with time l will get to understand it. l doubt if the government is aware of the real progress on the ground, it will be great to hear from them about their policy. The new dispensation is yet to reform so eish”.

 

The discussions reflected that there are many bottlenecks in the implementation of TSP. For instance Clemence Mutegeri wrote “ challenges or bottlenecks in the attainment of the reforms in the TSP are most likely to be in terms of scope, scale, complexity including path dependence, long time lags, co-ordination among different levels of government and the need to win the support of public sector stakeholders will be directly affected by the reform.”.Mutsa Samuel added, “Bottlenecks are in our low governance index . There is a lag when it comes to implementing a policy and that boils down to processes that have not been streamlined. The lack of electronic systems means things are still done manually. If they are done manually then the mindset of the people implementing has not been exposed to current trends and best practices”.

 

On the role civil society can play, Mutsa Samuel wrote, “The role of civil society in fixing bottle necks is to start a revolution! But not in the traditional (often violent and disruptive) sense. But a Zimbabwean poet, Black Anakin, once said " the mind of a child is where the revolution begins.."  This means civil society should play in the space they are most influential: the mind and consciousness of her people”.

 

Thank you all for taking your time to participate in the TSP discussion rooms. I am hopeful for another productive week of discussing!

 

Maureen Shonge
Maureen Shonge Moderator

@Nancy thank you for the comprehensive input. I think you have touched on something key regarding women's empowerment. I was wondering if you could expand more on which other reform areas could have beneffited from a more indepth analysis of gender equality and women's empowerment. The TSP mentions that gender mainstreaming in all development processes is key.Gender equality  is also fundamental to achieving equitable ,sustainable and inclusive socio –economic development.

Ntando
Ntando

The productive sector ....because in Zimbabwean rural areas there are a lot of untapped potential in women so by educating them and opening functional vocational institutions you are promoting their development and also the productiveness of a nation discouraging the early age marriage issues.

Maxtee Makuwerere
Maxtee Makuwerere

Very important and critical measures i have been reading which could make a great impact especially if we have seperation of political and economical governance.

Maureen Shonge
Maureen Shonge Moderator

 Maxtee thank you for your intervention. Here is a link to an article that you might find useful. https://www.herald.co.zw/tsp-addresses-fiscal-imbalances/

I am also keen to get your response to the following questions:

  1. What do you think is the role of citizenry in contributing towards the realisation of the reforms presented in the TSP?
  2. What do you envisage as the bottlenecks in the attainment of the reforms in the TSP?
Jussy
Jussy

TSP is a good document just like ZIMASSET, nevertheless there is only one challenge with our policy makers of being good in theory whilst failing to produce good results on the ground (practicality) lacks. 

Policy makers should also take into consideration the concept of holistic approach. This can only be achieved through using different local languages like Shona, Ndebele, Chewa etc so that every Zimbabwean participates and understands the development of policies. 

Issue of information dissemination is also a major challenge, our policy makers deliberately uses top down approach on policy formulations, Right now if we go to rural areas and some remote areas to do a survey on number of people who are familiar with TSP we will be shocked by surprise by the lack of knowledge on the TSP and the role citizens can play to implement it

For TSP to achieve its goals and objectives the government itself should put its house in-order through stopping all forms of corruption. Our government is good on denouncing corruption rather than preventing it. 

Maureen Shonge
Maureen Shonge Moderator

Jussy thank you for the input addressing corruption and other related challenges is indeed critical for the attainment of development goals. 

Dissemination of information in different languages is also important - information must be accessible and that includes availability in languages that citizens understand.

Maureen Shonge
Maureen Shonge Moderator

Thank you to everyone  that joined the discussion  in the Reforms and Policy  Responses discussion room.  You raised critical issues for discussion. In summary some of the key issues raises were :

- the need to disseminate information on the TSP utilising local languages 

- a recommendation for policy makers to utilise a bottom up approach to share information on key policy documents such as the TSP , this would ensure that all citizens become knowledgeable about their content and can also effectively engage on the key issues of concern.

- the discussion also  briefly touched on how the TSP could address the needs of women and how it can contribute to address social ills such as early  marriages through women's economic empowerment.

We look forward to your continued engagement this week!

 

Tafadzwa
Tafadzwa

Additionally, there is need for a dashboard on the key milestones so that citizens and other stakeholders are informed on what has been achieved and what has not been achieved. For example the privatization agenda seems to be on course. So a mechanism to amplify the highlights and/or the red flag the low lights of the TSP implementation is thus critical.

Rutendo Kambarami
Rutendo Kambarami Moderator

Hi Tafadzwa 

Thank you for the recommendation for a dashboard for key milestones for the reforms and policy processes as part of continued stakeholder engagement .  Please elaborate on two key points you raise - how you envision continued stakeholder engagement in the processes and also mechanisms for citizens to give feedback and also the mechanisms/ time frames that you see effective analysis of progress.  Great input.  

Kelvin Trinity Karumazondo
Kelvin Trinity Karumazondo

TSP is a good economic blueprint just like ZIMASSET,though i feel there are alot of challenges that will most likely affect the attainment of its targets.These include

1)lack of the capacity of institutional reforms

2)corruption

3)lack of information dessermination to critical stakeholders. eg farmers and rural population

4)inconsistence in public policies

5)poor macro economic policies

6)lack of investments even by local people

 

1)For Zimbabwe to full realise the benefits of TSP,the government must be firm in terms of doing more in ensuring reforms of state institutions eg police,army,judiciary, and even the way government departments operate.There is continual outcry in terms of management of parastatal as they are operatting not within their budget and high unbudgeted expenditure.This will ultimately hinders cost cutting in all government departments

2)Continual reported cases of corruption and lack justice on the parties involved in corruption.For a country to realise its full potential,it must fight corruption so that it can improve investor confidence so as to boast depressed FDI

3)Infomation on TSP hasnt reach all conrners of Zimbabwe.Rural Folks are not even aware of the policy.Thus to attain its targeted goal TSP must be marketed to all corners of Zimbabwe and even translated to all languages eg chewa,ndebele,shona,nyanja

4Macro economics has been poor,thus created a volatile macro economic enviroment.Thus investors have shun Zimbabwe,thus depriving the nation of the much needed foreign currency

5)The govenment of Zimbabwe has been characterised by policy inconisistence.

 

Rutendo Kambarami
Rutendo Kambarami Moderator

Hi Kelvin, 

Thanks for the in-depth analysis of the challenges for the TSP in relation to context, capacities and knowledge. What do you envisage as the bare minimal and practical  mechanisms that would enable the implementation TSP in relation to reforms and policy? 

Kelvin Trinity Karumazondo
Kelvin Trinity Karumazondo

Hie Rutendo

For TSP to attain its target goal,the government must adress the following issues related to reforms an policy;

1)The government of Zimbabwe must speak with one voice,thus when the Minister of Finance speak of a policy,it must be consistency with what the President say after some days.

2)The government must also take a leading role in enforcing all legal,political and economic reforms stated in the TSP as a matter of urgency,other than that the TSP will be just a policy on paper.

3)The government through ministry of information must have take a leading role in desserminating information to the general populace so as to inform all critical citizens and all stakeholders.

Rutendo Kambarami
Rutendo Kambarami Moderator

Hi Kelvin, 

Thanks for further conversation and would also like to hear from you how you see the citizens playing a role in reforms and policy processes. Depending on the extend of that engagement, please indicate  best mechanisms for this engagement.  This is connecting to the sensitisation and better understanding of the TSP .   

Kelvin Trinity Karumazondo
Kelvin Trinity Karumazondo

Hie Rutendo

The best way citizens can play a role on ensuring that their are feasible reforms is through lobbying groups,holding various stakeholder meeting/conferences with the related parties.For example lest say citizens want to see much reforms in terms of the Judiciary Services In Zimbabwe,The best would be to engage the judicial service commision through conferences on how to improve their working enviroment and service delivery.Therefore it is through this engagement that citizens can air out their issues thereby fostering reforms

 

 

 

Rutendo Kambarami
Rutendo Kambarami Moderator

Dear Kelvin, 

 

Thanks for the insights for citizen engagement that could also apply to all the threads within this dialogue. 

Rutendo Kambarami
Rutendo Kambarami 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 the 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 you like. Though the consultation will largely be hosted in English, comments in other languages are also welcomed.   

  

Thabang
Thabang

I feel the TSP has not been simplified for the public to understand or grasp the basic tenets. Most of the measures, when applied, are coming as a shock to the public and government then faces resistance. Government has not invested in a good public relations management system. It then becomes ''their thing'' rather than a collective effort by all Zimbabweans to turn around the fortunes of the country. 

The TSP does not marry well with the government's Integrated Results-Based Management system. The government indicated last year that it will retire all government workers who past their retirement age. Not much has been done on the front. Therefore, it will be difficult to apply measures proposed in the TSP when we do not have enegertic people with a clear grasp of the most basic tenets of the TSP and its application.

Gift Ntuli
Gift Ntuli

I coudn't agree more Thabang. Likewise the tracking of progress and updates to the public could improve. For example, do you know if there is a portal to access the 100-Day Programme Cycle reports as outlined in the TSP? I couldn't find one online.

Rutendo Kambarami
Rutendo Kambarami Moderator

Dear Thabang and Gift, 

Thank you both for your joined contribution on the basic and collective understanding of the TSP by the general populace.  This point has been raised in the other rooms as well and indeed some recommendations have been out forward how to improve the popular understanding of the TSP.  Gift, I also take note of the recommendation of availing the 100 Day Programme Cycle Reports for better  monitoring of progress and challenges.