The distribution of inputs under Zimbabwe’s flagship Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme has been marred by mismanagement and weak internal controls, with Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) raising concern over misappropriation of government resources within the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement.
Presenting the committee’s report on the 2022 and 2023 Auditor-General’s findings, PAC chairperson Hon. Brian Matewu said significant irregularities were identified in the handling of inputs under the Presidential agricultural scheme.
The audit cited cases in Nyika District in Masvingo Province and in Mashonaland Central, where internal controls at distribution centres were deemed inadequate.
According to the report, internal audit findings also implicated Agritex officers in Makonde District, Mashonaland West, who allegedly distributed inputs and irrigation equipment to individuals without legitimate farms.
Some beneficiaries reportedly accessed inputs through fraudulent registration of non-existent farms, exploiting gaps in supervisory controls.
The committee heard that in the Masvingo case, a board of investigation conducted disciplinary proceedings and recommended that implicated officers reimburse the value of the misappropriated inputs through salary stop orders.
In another case in Makonde, investigations were referred to the police and the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), with one officer reportedly arrested and appearing in court.
However, the PAC said the measures taken were insufficient to address systemic weaknesses.
“The Ministry does not have a proper internal control system in the selection and distribution of inputs,” the committee noted, adding that existing checks and balances were prone to abuse and corruption.
The committee recommended that by 31 March 2026, the ministry should review the current distribution framework and roll out a digital tracking system under an e-input distribution mechanism to enable real-time monitoring and reduce leakages.
Debating the report in the National Assembly, legislators expressed concern that misappropriation of Pfumvudza inputs was recurring despite repeated audit findings over the years.
They argued that weak enforcement and limited consequences for offenders were undermining accountability in a ministry that plays a central role in national food security.
Beyond the Pfumvudza programme, the PAC report highlighted broader financial management weaknesses within the ministry, including unrecorded direct payments by Treasury, poor contract management resulting in undelivered assets, gaps in revenue collection systems and failure to maintain proper accounting ledgers in several funds under its purview.
The committee urged stricter adherence to the Public Finance Management Act and Treasury Instructions, acceleration of digital financial systems and stronger oversight mechanisms to improve transparency and governance.
The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement said it had begun engaging Treasury on reconciliation issues, was in the process of procuring digital systems to improve revenue tracking and had taken disciplinary and legal steps in cases of proven misconduct.
The PAC said it would continue monitoring implementation of its recommendations to ensure that public resources allocated to critical agricultural programmes such as Pfumvudza are safeguarded.
