HARARE – Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube has doubled the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and further pledged the purchase of more cars for MPs as he gave in to pressure from a restive legislature clamouring for its piece of the national cake..

In his budget statement he presented November 28 this year, Ncube had allocated ZiG1.7 billion to parliament but has since raised it by ZIG1 billion.

To finance the additional costs, Ncube said he had to “go to the back pocket funds”.

He was speaking during debate on his 2025 budget on Wednesday,

Some of the demands by MPs included the purchase of additional vehicles for parliamentary committee chairpersons, allowances for staff, residential stands for lawmakers, clearance of Constituency Development Funds arrears as well as their sitting and fuel allowances.

Ncube responded by allocating approximately US$120 million for staff salaries, ZiG250 million for MPs additional cars, ZiG378 million for CDF arrears, ZiG72 million for MPs fuel, ZiG50 million for domestic and foreign allowances, ZiG50 million for lawmakers offices and tools of trade and residential stands.

The minister went on to double CDF to US$100,000 for the country’s 210 constituencies.

Ncube also set aside funds to buy buses to transport parliament staff to and from work.

“What we did not do is in a sense we can see that it is an area of pressure and we need some back pocket approve what they were proposing but to make provision for it because within our budget to cater for additional motor vehicles,” he said.

“Now let me go back and say that for the CDF and clearance of tools of trade and office equipment for staff and MPs, I am proposing an additional ZiG72 million.

“To support additional motor vehicle requirements which is a tool of trade, I am proposing an additional ZiG50 million.

“For MPs’ fuel requirements, I am proposing an additional budget of ZiG378 million.

“I am proposing a back pocket for parliament of ZiG200 million and an additional ZiG50 million for the constituency offices and other tools of the trade ZiG250 million.

“For domestic and foreign allowances, I am proposing ZiG 50 million.

The Treasury boss said the issue of residential stands for parliament’s workers was still being worked on by the Local Government Ministry.