Bonus for Zimbabwe civil servants

Government will begin paying bonuses to its employees this month, with uniformed forces scheduled to be the first recipients, a Cabinet minister has said.

Payment to the rest of the Civil Service could then stretch to January 2016 to allow authorities room to gather further resources against a tide of revenue constraints.

The dates are likely to be tabled before Cabinet as early as this Tuesday, with an announcement expected to follow.

In an interview last week, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Prisca Mupfumira said 2015 Civil Service bonuses were not "a question of if, but when they will be paid".

This most certainly is good news to civil servants who were keenly counting down to year-end, anxiously awaiting their employer's position on the matter.

In early 2015, there had been indications that Government would forego paying the 13th cheque due to limited funds.

However, President Mugabe clarified that bonuses were an entitlement, and as such, civil servants should expect a windfall in the festive season.

Yesterday, Minister Mupfumira said Government – in spite of financial constraints – remains guided by this position.

"The uniformed forces will get their bonuses in November. As you know, I don't deal with uniformed forces but the (Civil Service Commission) Chairperson (Dr Mariyawanda Nzuwa) has confirmed this to me.

"For the other civil servants, the proposal is that we stagger payment because we don't have the money to pay everyone at once. The proposal will be brought before Cabinet most likely on Tuesday, after which we will be in a position to announce the actual dates of payment."

She added, "Nothing has changed from the statement made by His Excellency, President Mugabe, in April; we stand guided by that. Yes, we are facing financial problems, but we have to work out ways of making sure that our workers smile."

Civil servant representatives yesterday welcomed this assurance, though expressing reservations on staggering payment.

The Apex Council chair Mr Richard Gundani implored Government to pay bonuses to all civil servants this year.

"Our expectations are that we must get our bonuses at the end of each year. It's our entitlement. So, it's a good and welcome development that what the President assured us is becoming reality.

"What I would, however, like to implore Government to do is to make sure it covers everyone in November and December 2015. While we are not threatening any action, we hope bonus payment will not spill into 2016. In planning the 2016 National Budget, Government should include civil servants' bonuses so that we won't have to discuss bonuses again towards the end of the year like we are doing now."

In 2014, Government promised to pay civil servants bonuses simultaneously, but ended up staggering them due to cashflow challenges.

Some of its employees received their 13th cheque in January 2015.

Government is looking at ways of cutting the Civil Service wage bill, which chews up about 82 percent of national revenue.