🚨 Breaking News: Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube Grilled Over $114 Million Road Project Mystery
MP Mutseyami Demands Answers on Unbudgeted $26 Million Spend for Harare Interchange
Parliament of Zimbabwe | 10 July 2025
Zimbabwe’s Finance Minister, Professor Mthuli Ncube, was on the defensive in Parliament after being grilled by opposition MP Prosper Mutseyami (CCC) over ballooning costs linked to the construction of the Mbudzi Traffic Interchange—a project now confirmed to have consumed at least USD $114 million, up from the originally announced $88 million.
During a heated exchange in Parliament, Minister Ncube revealed that $26 million from Zimbabwe’s IMF Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) was used as a deposit to unlock a contractor-led loan arrangement of $88 million. But confusion erupted over whether the $26 million was part of the $88 million or in addition to it.
Pressed by MP Mutseyami and MP Bajela for clarification, Ncube confirmed:
“The $26 million is in addition… It was a requirement for accessing that $88 million that we pay that deposit… That caused the budget to go beyond what was initially budgeted.”
Ncube attributed the cost overruns to “unexpected escalations” and relocation of residents, describing the overruns as “normal” in large-scale infrastructure projects.
“Cost overruns are never planned upfront… The cost of relocating families was quite onerous,” he said.
However, Mutseyami raised alarm over the sudden appearance of a $26 million expenditure not initially accounted for in the approved budget.
“How do you just add $26 million to an already budgeted amount? How do you account for that?” he challenged.
Observers say the revelation of the blended financing model—tapping both public funds and opaque contractor loans—raises serious questions about transparency, debt sustainability, and accountability in Zimbabwe’s infrastructure rollout.
Minister Ncube urged MPs to view the project as “money well spent”, hailing the interchange as a “world-class” infrastructure model for replication.
Yet with no public audit yet released, and costs still possibly rising, the controversy casts doubt on the government’s handling of critical infrastructure financing amid growing economic hardship and shrinking public trust.
#ZimParliament #MbudziInterchange #MthuliNcube #TransparencyWatch