Pay freeze opens Pandora's Box

Government's call for 2 207 teachers recently struck off the payroll to prove that they are not ghost workers has unearthed more corruption as among the 178 who have responded so far are dead people and others who left the service several years ago.

According to a verification exercise by the Civil Service Commission on the 178 papers submitted as at last Friday pointed to corruption on the part of headmasters, district education officers and human resources officials who have been all along acquitting the ghost workers as bona fide civil servants.

Public Service, Labour and Social Services Minister Prisca Mupfumira said Government was charging the "irresponsible and corrupt" officials who have cost the payroll millions of dollars in the past years.

The 2 207 teachers are part of the 3 000 civil servants whose salaries were ceased last month when they were not at their workstations when the Government conducted a head count in March.