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Public hearings on 2013 Budget: 15-19 October - Parliamentary Committees Series
Veritas
October 14, 2012

Public Hearings on 2013 National Budget: 15th to 19th October

The House of Assembly’s Portfolio Committee on Budget, Finance and Investment Promotion will conduct hearings on the 2013 National Budget in twelve centres around the country from 15th to 19th October. A hearing in Harare will follow later. The portfolio committee will split into two teams to enable it to cover the whole country. The programme for coming week is as follows:

Programme

Monday 15th October

• Chinhoyi Cooksey Memorial Hall - 9 am to 11 am
• Marondera Farmers' Hall - 9 am to 11 am

Tuesday 16th October

• Kwekwe Kwekwe Theatre - 9 am to 11 am
• Gweru Gweru Theatre - 2 pm to 4 pm
• Mutare Queen’s Hall - 2.30 pm to 4.30 pm

Wednesday 17th October

• Bulawayo Small City Hall - 9 am to 11 am
• Masvingo Civic Centre - 11.30 am to 1 pm
• Gwanda Gwanda Club - 2 pm to 4 pm

Thursday 18th October

• Lupane Community Hall - 11 am to 1 pm
• Chiredzi Chitsanga Hall - 11.30 am to 1 pm

Friday 19th October

• Beit Bridge Holiday Inn Express - 9 am to 11 am
• Victoria Falls Chinotimba Hall - 9 am to 11 am

About the Hearings

The purpose of the hearings is spelled out in section 28 of the Public Finance Management Act, which states that

• the Minister of Finance may through the portfolio committee seek the views of Parliament in the preparation and formulation of the national budget
• the portfolio committee must for that purpose “conduct public hearings to elicit the opinions of as many stakeholders in the national annual budget as possible”.

The hearings therefore give all stakeholders – interest groups, business organisations, farmers, miners and members of the general public – an opportunity to influence the crafting of the 2013 Budget through the portfolio committee. Public input at the hearings will be included in a report to be presented to the Minister for consideration as the 2013 Budget is put together in the Ministry. The chairperson of the committee, Hon Zhanda, will also present a report to the House of Assembly when the Budget is debated in Parliament. The Minister will present the Budget on Thursday 15th November.

Interested persons are invited to attend the hearings, at which they will be given the opportunity to make contributions. If you want to make oral representations, signify this to the Committee Clerk before the hearing so that he can notify the chairperson to call on you. An oral submission is more effective if followed up in writing. If you are making a written submission, it is advisable to take as many copies as possible for circulation at the hearing.

Written submissions and correspondence are also welcome and should be addressed to: The Clerk of Parliament, Attention: Portfolio Committee on Budget, Finance and Investment Promotion. Parliament’s postal address is P.O. Box CY298 Causeway, Harare. If delivering, please use the Kwame Nkrumah Avenue entrance to Parliament, between Second and Third Streets, Harare.

NB: Members of the public who cannot attend meetings, including Zimbabweans in the Diaspora, can at any time send written submissions to committees by email addressed to to clerk@parlzim.gov.zw.

For further information contact the committee clerk, Mr Chris Ratsakatika. Telephone (0)4 252931, 252936/7, 252941. Cellphone 0772 428 946. E-mail ratsakatikac@parlzim.gov.zw

Ministry of Finance Budget Stakeholder Consultations

As part of its Budget preparations the Ministry of Finance has released its Pre-Budget Strategy Paper [available from veritas@mango.zw as a 2 MB pdf document]. The Ministry will be holding provincial consultations from 16th to 30th October – Veritas will distribute details as soon as they are available. These consultations are in addition to the Parliamentary public hearings.

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