Finance Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube says civil servants will receive their annual bonuses, even as Government prepares to reduce ministry spending requests to fit within its projected revenue.
Ncube gave the assurance at the close of Parliament’s four-day 2027 Pre-Budget Seminar in Bulawayo, where ministries and Government departments presented their priorities for the coming financial year. Their combined requests are nearly ZiG1 trillion, while Treasury estimates its revenue-raising capacity at ZiG347 billion.
“Without any difficulty, we are going to pay civil servants their bonuses. As you know, as the Second Republic, we have never missed payment of civil servants’ bonuses. We have to thank them for their hard work. We have even gone to the extent of paying traditional chiefs’ bonuses, something which had not happened since independence,” he said.
The minister did not give a payment date or state the amount civil servants would receive. His statement came as the Government begins shaping a budget expected to support public services and development projects while keeping spending within the resources available to Treasury.
Ncube said the ministries’ requests could not all be met. Their combined bids amount to almost three times the projected revenue capacity he cited, so proposed spending will have to be revised before allocations are finalised.
“Look, we cannot naturally accommodate anything beyond the ZiG347 billion that the economy will allow in terms of our current capacity, our revenue-raising capacity. So, while everybody has asked for more money, we cannot reach the almost ZiG1 trillion that they are asking for. There will be a haircut everywhere for everyone to fit into the ZiG347 billion that we are projecting,” he said.
The seminar brought ministers and Members of Parliament together to discuss funding requirements and priorities before the 2027 National Budget is presented on November 19. Ncube described the discussions as constructive, saying ministers had outlined their work and Parliament had contributed to the process.
“I think this has been a very constructive retreat by Parliament working with the Minister of Finance and with Government ministers who are here to present on their activities. It’s been a very constructive process,” he said.
The bonus assurance follows previous end-of-year payments to public sector workers. In November 2025, the Government began disbursing the 2024 annual bonus in two instalments, with half paid alongside November salaries and the balance due in December. Traditional leaders and their messengers were also included in that payment arrangement.
Civil servants also received a separate, once-off Special Presidential Bonus of US$150 in 2025, announced in addition to their regular annual bonus and salaries. That payment was scheduled in two US$75 instalments, in November and December. Ncube’s latest announcement concerns the annual bonus, but he did not say whether any additional special payment would be made this year.
Beyond bonuses, the pre-budget talks addressed how Treasury manages cash and releases money to ministries. Ncube said Government operates a cash-budgeting system, which means spending is tied to revenue actually collected. He acknowledged that funding releases can sometimes move ahead of the cash available to support them.
“We eat what we kill. We live within our means. But of course, sometimes it’s a coordination issue where budget releases run too far ahead because of the pressure from the ministers. The releases run too far ahead of the availability of cash to support those releases,” he said.
To improve coordination, the Government has established a cash management committee. It is expected to forecast revenue inflows and cash needs one to two weeks ahead, helping Treasury match ministry releases with available funds.
The cash forecasts are intended to reduce the risk of ministries receiving commitments that cannot be paid immediately. Ncube also said the Government would continue to use an arrears-clearance strategy presented to Parliament last year, as it works to meet existing obligations and prevent new arrears from building up.
Treasury is also tightening its oversight of projects. Any project valued above US$2 million will require Treasury’s approval before it proceeds, a measure Ncube said was intended to prevent ministries, departments and agencies from taking on more contracts than their budgets can support.
“What we want to do is to tighten the approval process for projects to avoid over-contracting. So, any projects above US$2 million will require Treasury concurrence so that MDAs (ministries, departments and agencies) stay within the allocated budgets and we don’t accumulate arrears,” he said.
The proposed 2027 Budget is intended to support structural transformation and economic reforms, with the stated aim of building an empowered, prosperous and highly industrialised country by 2030. Ncube said the budget would also have to provide for climate-related and external economic shocks.
The funding pressure comes as ministries set out spending needs across Government, while Treasury has said it must fit the final plan within its revenue capacity. That means the proposed allocations will be adjusted before the budget is presented, with the minister saying every area will face cuts to bring requests into line with the ZiG347 billion projection.
For infrastructure, Ncube said Government was preparing to bring in more private-sector investment through a proposed infrastructure fund. The fund would support roads, health facilities, water infrastructure and other projects, particularly those able to generate revenue through user fees or charges.
“We are going to be raising resources from the private sector. I think we have already started the structures that we are putting in place to create an infrastructure fund which will cover road construction, health infrastructure, water infrastructure and other infrastructure,” he said.
“So, in terms of infrastructure funding where we can collect user charges such as fees and so forth, we will be leaning on the private sector, crowding in the private sector to support us,” he said.
Ncube said the 2027 Budget would continue to pursue economic transformation and reforms linked to the Government’s Vision 2030 target. The budget process will now move from ministry requests and seminar discussions to the preparation of the final allocations, with the November 19 presentation date approaching.