Civil servants to be paid above poverty datum line says Zanu-PF

CIVIL servants are in line for a windfall after Zanu-PF's politburo, meeting in Harare last night, resolved that the lowest paid public sector worker will be paid a minimum $540, up from $297.

The increment is expected in January next year after the presentation of the national budget in December, and the Government workers are also expected to get "a token increment" which President Mugabe promised before the end of the year.

The Government has already committed to paying a bonus - roughly double their normal pay - to public sector workers this month.

Speaking to journalists after a six-hour politburo meeting in Harare yesterday, Zanu-PF secretary for information and publicity Rugare Gumbo said the party's highest decision making had unanimously agreed that the welfare of civil servants was a priority.

He said President Mugabe had emphasised the need for Government to increase salaries in line with the poverty datum line, which is currently around $540.

"We talked about the issues of civil servants. The politburo resolved that no civil servant will get paid a salary which is below the poverty datum line," he said.

"That is the position of the party that civil servants will get paid at least above the poverty datum line. It's a very important point and the President was very forceful about it. He felt it was not good that civil servants be underpaid as has been the case in the last four years."

The civil servants failed to get a meaningful salary increment for the past five years due to policy inconsistencies by MDC-T ministers in the inclusive Government.

The then Finance Minister, Tendai Biti, repeatedly told them that Government was broke while the then Public Service Minister, Lucia Matibenga, was "arrogant" and evaded the workers in times of negotiations.

The lowest-paid Government worker is getting $297.

President Mugabe has indicated, on different platforms, that the new Zanu-PF Government prioritises the welfare and conditions of service for civil servants and would improve them.

Gumbo said the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (ZimAsset), an economic blueprint expected to turn around the economy in the next five years, was discussed extensively.

"We discussed at length ZimAsset with Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa telling us what he has done - the integrated party position as far as the economic blueprint is concerned," he said.

"He (Chinamasa) talked about the need now to raise money to implement the programmes outlined in the document and that is what exactly the party asked him to do and he will do that.

"ZimAsset is divided into four clusters and all of them should be implemented. What he has to do is to have plans to raise funds to fund the projects that are enunciated in the framework."

Government, in line with the winning Zanu-PF manifesto recently adopted the five-year economic blueprint that seeks to achieve sustainable development anchored on indigenisation and empowerment.

The economic plan envisages that the economy will grow by an average of 3,4 percent this year, 6,1 percent next year and continue on an upward growth trajectory to 9,9 percent by 2018.

Gumbo said the forthcoming 14th Zanu-PF Annual National People's Conference was also on the agenda.

He said this year's conference - running from December 10 and 15 - would be held under the theme: "ZimAsset: Growing the Economy for Empowerment and Employment"

"All the logistics are being worked out and the Politburo will meet on the 10th with the central Committee following the next day," he said.

Provincial election results from the Midlands and Manicaland provinces, Gumbo said, were confirmed.

"Mashonaland Central will hold its elections on Saturday and other provinces will follow next week," he said.

John Mvundura won the right to chair Manicaland province after beating Monica Mutsvangwa while the chairman for Midlands is Jaison Machaya who was victorious against Larry Mavhima.