By Farai D Hove | Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube’s announcements that the country is purchasing COVID vaccines have been exposed when it emerged everything is being donated.

Speaking at the end of June last year, Ncube said USD40million had already been spent by the end of the month.

“Our current budget on vaccine acquisition is US$100 million cumulatively we have spent about US$40 million and what is left now is US$60 million, if necessary, we will top-up depending on need,” said Prof Mthuli Ncube.

But latest details show that the country has received over 12 million doses as donation from China.

All was revealed in an announcement on the donation at State House in Harare yesterday where ZANU PF leader, Emerson Mnangagwa thanked the Chinese government for the gesture.

“It is with profound joy and gratitude that I take this opportunity to inform the nation of His Excellency Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China’s magnanimous decision to donate 10 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to Zimbabwe.

“The assistance comprising four million Sinopharm doses and six million Sinovac doses is in addition to the two million doses Zimbabwe has received as donation since February 2021 from the People’s Republic of China,” said Mnangagwa.

Details on who likely benefited from the USD40 million were not revealed at the time of writing.

Mthuli Ncube was still to comment on the development at the time of writing.