Mugabe to block civil service retrenchments

Economists and experts have warned that plans to retrench civil service will remain a pipedream as long as president Robert Mugabe is in power.

They content that earlier attempts even to scrap bonuses were resisted by the President.

Meanwhile, Public Service Minister Prisca Mupfumira says government will not wantonly retrench civil servants but will reduce its wage bill through other means.

A Cabinet committee headed by Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa has been established to examine options and present to Cabinet.

Mupfumira said government has no plans to retrench, but will look at other ways of reducing costs.

In his mid-term fiscal policy statement Chinamasa said government is looking at reducing the wage bill to 40% from the current 80% of the total budget.