By Victor Fanuel
Harare – Zimbabwe’s parliamentary committee chairpersons have been discreetly handed a second set of luxury vehicles worth between US$60,000 to US$80,000 each, with the total allocation amounting to over a staggering US$2 million.
Highly placed sources within parliament reveal that the vehicles, distributed by Croco Motors, began being delivered last week Friday, with Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairperson Charlton Hwende and Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) National Assembly chief whip Charles Moyo among the first beneficiaries.
Moyo made headlines earlier this year after he and Zanu PF Goromonzi West lawmaker Energy Mutodi controversially tabled a motion aligned with Zanu PF’s Vision 2030 agenda before later distancing himself from it.
Parliamentary committee chairpersons allocated the second batch of luxury vehicles include 19 Portfolio Committee Chairs, the Public Accounts Committee Chair in the National Assembly, along with six Thematic Committee Chairs from the Senate.
This controversial allocation was reportedly facilitated by the Standing Rules and Orders Committee (SROC), chaired by Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda, which pushed for the procurement despite public disapproval.
The decision comes after lawmakers, most of whom were elected in August 2023, received top-of-the-range vehicles between April and May last year, including Toyota GD6s, Toyota Fortuners, Ford Rangers, Ford Everests, and the then latest Isuzu models, each valued at around US$60,000.
Committee chairpersons were given even pricier rides worth US$70,000 each.
The vehicles’ distribution, which began last Friday through the car dealership Croco Motors, comes amid a worsening economic crisis and growing public pressure for austerity in governance.
The move has ignited fierce backlash, particularly after finance minister Mthuli Ncube approved the budget under the impression that committee chairpersons would receive smaller, more cost-effective vehicles for their oversight duties.
The push for a second set of luxury cars was allegedly initiated following a proposal by Marondera Central lawmaker Caston Matewu last December, who was vocal that committee chairs’ second vehicles be allocated in the 2025 budget.
Matewu’s request attracted public outcry, which later forced the lawmaker to distance himself, clarifying that he was “simply reading out resolutions from the Chairpersons’ meeting who had requested a low-cost vehicle for travelling across the country weekly in executing their duties,” and was not giving his personal views.
However, despite the public pushback, the procurement went ahead, leaving many questioning the priorities of Zimbabwe’s political elite, especially as the country battles sky-high inflation, unemployment, and crumbling public services.
The latest allocation has also caused discontent among backbenchers and ordinary MPs, who feel sidelined in the distribution of perks.
Some lawmakers argue that if committee chairpersons are entitled to two luxury vehicles, then all MPs should receive similar benefits, a demand that would further drain state coffers.
