Zimbabwean diplomats abroad yet to receive salaries

Zimbabwean ambassadors and other diplomats serving in foreign countries have not been paid their salaries for some time and risk being evicted from their residences due to non-payment of rentals, the Foreign Affairs ministry has said.

Foreign Affairs ministry permanent secretary Joey Bimha told the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Foreign Affairs on Wednesday that the ministry this year incurred a domestic debt of $1 780 000 while between 2012 and 2014, diplomatic missions incurred debts of $32 644 000.

He said diplomats are without salaries, landlords are threatening eviction, programmes have been curtailed, the list goes on.

Treasury failed to provide operations budget support for diplomatic missions for the past 20 months, since May 2013 and these arrears representing monthly operations budget support stood at $32 644 000 as at December 31 2014.

Bimha decried the allocation of $48 126 000 in the 2015 National Budget and warned that the country risked embarrassment at its embassies most of which were in a state of dilapidation.