Mnangagwa: BEAM List Manipulation Audit Delays Treasury Payments

• Zimbabwe's Treasury is deliberately slowing BEAM payments due to an audit into alleged manipulation of the beneficiary list.
• Outstanding obligations for 2023-2025 total US$98 million, with concerns that influential individuals are exploiting the system, excluding genuinely needy pupils.
• An independent audit, requested by the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, has been completed, with a report expected soon, and was slated for completion in 2026.
• The audit is Phase One of a wider Expenditure Arrears Clearance Strategy (2026-2030), with actual payments for verified arrears not expected until 2027-2030.
• Schools supporting vulnerable children face significant delays, waiting at least another year for verification and up to four years for full payment of BEAM funds.

Schools that enrolled vulnerable children based on the government's promise of assistance, will now face significant delays.

Zimbabwe's Treasury has announced a deliberate slowdown in payments for the Beneficiary Education Assistance Module (BEAM), citing an ongoing audit into alleged manipulation of the beneficiary list. Finance Deputy Minister Kudakwashe Mnangagwa informed the National Assembly that full disbursements would be withheld pending an independent verification process. This decision comes as the government grapples with significant outstanding obligations, primarily for the 2023 to 2025 period, which amount to US$98 million.

The Deputy Minister's statement was a direct response to Luveve-Emakhandeni MP Discent Bajila, who had sought clarity on timelines for clearing BEAM arrears, some of which date back to 2017. While acknowledging the accumulation of these arrears, Mnangagwa clarified that the immediate focus of the current outstanding stock is on the more recent period. This payment delay is a critical component of the broader Expenditure Arrears Clearance Strategy, a government initiative spanning from 2026 to 2030.

The Cabinet has adopted a firm stance, mandating that no complete payments will be made without an independent audit, driven by well-grounded concerns regarding the manipulation of the beneficiary system. Deputy Minister Mnangagwa highlighted preliminary information suggesting that a substantial portion of the current BEAM beneficiary list might not consist of genuinely deserving cases, implying that influential individuals are exploiting the system. This alleged manipulation, he noted, has led to the exclusion of many truly needy pupils from receiving educational assistance.

Consequently, Treasury payments will proceed at a slow pace, with only special schools receiving prioritized funding during this period. The audit constitutes Phase One of the comprehensive clearance strategy, which was formally presented to Parliament in November 2025. The Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare has already initiated the process by formally requesting the Auditor-General to undertake this exercise and has provided draft terms of reference. The audit has been completed, with a report expected soon, and was slated for completion within the 2026 financial year. Its primary objectives are to verify legitimate beneficiaries and establish an accurate, non-contested figure for the outstanding arrears.

The actual clearance of verified BEAM arrears is designated as Phase Two of the government's Expenditure Arrears Clearance Strategy, scheduled to run from 2027 to 2030. This subsequent phase will only proceed once the accurate figures have been established through the audit and will be subject to the availability of fiscal space within the national budget. Within this overarching strategy, verified BEAM arrears are categorized under Category 1, signifying the highest priority for clearance due to their immediate and significant social impact on vulnerable children.

However, this strategic approach means that educational institutions across the country, which enrolled vulnerable children based on the government's promise of assistance, will now face significant delays. Schools can expect to wait at least another year for the verification process to conclude and potentially up to four years for the full payment of the outstanding BEAM funds.

Lawyers representing schools or educational institutions relying on BEAM funding should advise clients on the significant payment delays and potential financial strain due to the ongoing audit into beneficiary list manipulation. This situation may also trigger investigations into fraud or mismanagement, requiring legal counsel for affected parties or those implicated in the alleged manipulation.

Source: Reporting based on parliamentary statements