Mnangagwa offers rural workers free bus rides

RATTLED by the spectre of a full blown job action across the civil service, President Emmerson Mnangagwa's government has offered its broke employees free buses to transport them to shopping in towns.

Information, Media and Broadcasting Services permanent secretary, Nick Mangwana announced the maiden ride that will this weekend be extended to  civil servants from Kotwa, Mudzi district.

"The government has added another non-monetary benefit to its workers in rural areas through provision of free transportation to do monthly shopping in urban areas," said Mangwana.

"Starting this Saturday, a bus from Kotwa will pick up people at BSPZ (Better Schools Programme Zimbabwe) leaving at 6:30am and arrive in Harare at Simon Muzenda Street formerly Fourth Street near Mkwati Building at 09:00hrs while returning at 3pm."

The Zanu-PF government has awarded teachers a 20% salary increment backdated to January, plus a Covid-19 monthly allowance of US$100 effective March 1.

However, the adjustments still fall far too short of their US$540 monthly salary demands.

Finance minister Mthuli Ncube has been accused by teachers' unions of carrying out an "academic genocide" by refusing to pander to the demands.

The standoff between educators and government is feared could trigger strikes across the entire poorly rewarded civil service.