Source: Police, RG’s Office demand to retain $71m in revenue – NewsDay Zimbabwe October 31, 2017
VARIOUS departments under the Home Affairs ministry, among them the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), Registrar-Generals’ (RG) Office and Immigration, say they expect to collect and retain $71 million of their anticipated total collections next year against a paltry $15,9m they were allocated by Treasury to cover operational costs.
BY VENERANDA LANGA
Home Affairs ministry permanent secretary Melusi Matshiya made the disclosure yesterday when he appeared before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Defence and Home Affairs.
“Immigration retained $1,2m out of $15,6m they collected, and the RG’s Office retained $29 408 340, while the ZRP retained $41 157 000, and the total retention by departments was $71 765 340,” Matshiya said while presenting the 2018 budget bids before the Defence Committee.
“The 2018 allocation placed at our disposal by Treasury for use stands at $15,9m for operations across the ministry to be split across departments, and the $71m is the estimated revenue we can collect, and the figures will depend on whether the members of the public will require passports, and also depend on the infringements by members of the public which will require fines.”
Matshiya pleaded with the committee that these departments should continue to be allowed to retain funds as they are critical and have to support themselves through the retained funds.
For the 2018 elections bid, the RG’s Office was given $7,3m to cover the mobile registration programme expected to end on November 30, and to date, they have used $4,4m, leaving a balance of $1,4m.
“To facilitate a peaceful election, the ZRP have submitted a $30,7m bid being considered by Treasury to ensure peace and tranquillity during, before and after elections,” the Home Affairs secretary said.
The Defence Parliamentary Portfolio Committee, led by Buhera Central MP Ronald Muderedzwa, heard that 30 000 police officers would need to be deployed for the 2018 elections, yet only $2,7m was what the ZRP had been promised, considering that for transport and subsistence, each police officer would need $55 per day.
For the six months which the police are expected to do the monitoring, it means that a figure of $297m will be needed to cover the 30 000 officers.
Registrar-General Tobaiwa Mudede said the retention of funds by his office had assisted in the efficient services pertaining to passports and others.
The Forensic Sciences department was said to be in a very sorry state due to serious underfunding, with the department given a measly $50 000 since 2014, and the negative impact was that they now had a backlog of 1 600 cases (criminal offences like rape and murder) needing services of forensic scientists.
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