Corruption cause for govt failure to pay civil servants - NCA

The opposition National Constitutional Assembly party has claimed that the rampant corruption rocking Zimbabwe has caused government to fail to pay civil servants in time.

In a statement party spokesperson Madock Chivasa said government failure to pay bonuses and delay in paying civil servants salaries was due to corruption in the government circles.

"NCA party is seriously concerned that the corrupt Zanu PF government failed to pay civil servants their salaries on time and completely failed to pay them their bonuses. So far some sections of civil servants received their salaries with no bonuses while a number are still waiting to get their salaries," he said.

"The delay in paying civil servants their salaries and failure to pay them bonuses is happening as the 91 year old President Robert Mugabe is out of the country for an expensive holiday in the Far East."

He said it is deplorable that the same empty Zanu PF government that is failing to pay workers their bonuses and salary on time was recently lavishing spending millions doing a useless conference in Victoria Falls.

"If the corrupt Zanu PF government can get money to squander over a mere directionless conference it must surely be in a position to pay workers' salaries on time and provide them with their bonuses," he said.

"Zanu PF government's failure to pay civil servants salaries on time and complete failure to pay them their bonuses is illegal and in clear violation of state's contractual obligations."

Chivasa said delay by the arrogant Zanu PF government to pay salaries and failure to pay bonuses to civil servants is also a clear testimony that the country is being run by selfish politicians who have either taken leave or already retired from working towards improving the welfare of workers.

"Finance Minister  Patrick Chinamasa is being dishonesty to workers by continuously giving them endless empty promises but he is however failing to meet his own imaginary pay dates and no adequate explanation is being given to the affected civil servants," he said.

"As NCA party we take Finance Minister Chinamasa's actions as worse than hypocrisy and clear negligence of duty. Instead of coming out clear that the clueless Zanu PF government does not have any money to pay workers the Finance Minister continue to play political gimmick misleading the nation that he is addressing the plight of workers."

Chivasa said NCA party is reminding the Finance Minister Mr Patrick Chinamasa and his corrupt Zanu PF government that what is needed now is money to pay workers their salaries and bonuses.

"The NCA party is urging all civil servants to vote wisely in future. If they vote for corrupt political parties like Zanu PF to be government they will be indirectly perpetuating their own misery as they will continue getting salaries late and may never get any bonuses in their lifetime," he said.

"As NCA party we sturdily advise all civil servants to seriously consider industrial action against Zanu PF government failure to pay them their bonuses and for delaying to pay them their salaries on time as expected."

He said a future NCA government will ensure that there is a fixed pay day for all civil servants to get their salaries and will always make sure that bonuses are paid to all workers on time every year.