Mudenda urges lawmakers to curb corruption and improve oversight

National Assembly Speaker Jacob Mudenda urged lawmakers to intensify scrutiny of government spending, warning that politically connected groups steal public funds via corrupt contracts. He stressed Parliament must actively monitor budget execution, not merely approve appropriations, citing constitutional mandates for transparent procurement. Mudenda criticized officials ignoring Auditor-General reports, calling continued funding for noncompliant agencies a breach of trust.

Mudenda linked Zimbabwe’s fiscal challenges to massive tax evasion, noting 85.7 percent of the nation’s 3.4 million small businesses operate untaxed. He dismissed plans to register only 5,000 enterprises by 2026 as inadequate, urging the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority to deploy artificial intelligence for efficient revenue collection. Digital tools could boost compliance across formal and informal sectors, he argued, while alternative infrastructure financing deserves exploration to reduce budget pressure. His remarks followed repeated corruption disclosures in state entities.