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Failure to pay civil servants bonuses fuels corruption

31 Jan 2017 at 22:49hrs | Views
THE Dumiso Dabengwa led ZAPU opposition party has bemoaned  government's failure to pay civil servants  their 2016's bonuses saying this demotivates workers, fueling corruption and poor service delivery.

This comes in the wake of dreadlocks between civil servants and the ‘cash strapped' employer where alternative for bonus such as bonds and stand options were rejected with another meeting set for February 20.

"The writing is clear on the wall that the ZANU government has rejected both the country and its own workers.

"It's now common to see ZANU  doing the uncommon with regard to the welfare of its workers who  have not been readily receiving their salaries and  bonuses over the false that state coffers have no money.

"But mysteriously when it is about President Mugabe's holiday or other executive projects, funds emerge," ZAPU deputy secretary-general Mjobisa Noko said.

Corruption has rocked the civil service where public officials demand bribes from the public to access basic services with some investors turning their backs on the country following request of bribes to invest in the country.

Last year the Zimbabwe Republic Police dismissed close to 400 police officers over corruption.

ZAPU, which divorced from the 1987 unity accord with ZANU over poor democracy and unfulfilled unity agreements in 2008 lamented that state coffers are being abused for ruling ZANU projects at the country's expense.

ZAPU blasted the ‘master of deceit' art by government where executive  demands such as president's annual trips are funded while key national issues including bonuses payments are neglected  due to reported low government coffers.

"Millions of the tax payers' money is being clandestinely used for ZANU conferences, birthday galas and outrageous trips.

"Recently Mugabe's annual holiday cost six million dollars and instead of the nonagenarian centering on key national questions he is busy banqueting on the people sorrows," said Noko.

There are media reports that President Mugabe was also renting a $500 000 mansion in Dubai.

The over-ballooned civil service pay bill, Noko went on, was also a clear sign of ZANU inefficiency and misgovernance that has created ghost workers in government structures.

Said ZAPU's deputy secretary -general  : " Right now we are battling the typhoid problem due to dilapidated services  and  how can we be on high alert when our nurses, doctors  have low morale over unpaid bonuses, poor salaries  a long queuing   at banks to access cash?"

Noko added that government's failure to honour commitments to civil servants was a public threat, urging it to honour its contractual agreements.

"A ZAPU government relishes the huge sacrifice of all workers , particularly civil servants in driving the country's success and will religiously follow crucial policies crucial that safeguard  their welfare in its turn-around strategy," he added.


Source - Onai Sithole
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