Mugabe has spent US$20.6m globetrotting so far - enough to buy anti-retroviral for half million for six months!

Mugabe has spent US$20.6m on travel so far this year out of a budget of $15 m. Tsvangirai and his two deputies PM have spent $3.7 m so far out of their annual budget of $5 m. According to the World Health Organisation, the money spent by these four individuals for far is enough to pay for anti-retroviral treatment for almost 600 000 people for six straight months!

Biti told Parliament a fortnight ago that civil servants’ salary increments would cost the government an extra $29 million per month, pushing the wage bill to 70 percent of government expenditure on salaries up from 45 percent.

So if government is spending 70% of its revenue in wages the rest is mopped up on foreign travels, cars for ministers, etc. It is no wonder government has no money left for other basics like food for prisoners – hundreds of prisoners are reportedly dying of starvation and medicines like anti-retroviral. So money that could be used to save 600 000 Zimbabwean lives in need of anti-retroviral treatment is being used instead to pay for the globe trotting passion of four individuals!