Opinion / Columnist
'Willowgate' Shava refused to work over his US$100k arrears yet no qualms enforcing 'no work no pay' over slave wages
01 May 2021 at 09:18hrs | Views
The 1980s Willowvale Motor Industries scandal in which the Zanu PF ruling elite used or rather abused their positions of power and authority to buy new vehicles at the low controlled prices, ostensibly for official business, only to resell them on the black market making huge profits. The scandal was dubbed Willowgate after the infamous 1970s USA President Richard Milhouse Nixon Watergate scandal.
Talk of the Willowgate scandal and the tale is not done without mentioning Dr Fredrick Shama, he was one of the cabinet ministers bought and sold many cars only to lie about it under oath. Well Dr Shava is back in Zimbabwe and already he is embroiled in a new scandal.
"He (Shava) said he would not assume work at the ministry unless his salary arrears were cleared. He was owed about US$100 000. He, like other ambassadors across the world, had not received his salary and benefits for over a year," an official source told The Independent.
"The money has since been paid in full and this is why he assumed work on Tuesday last week."
Dr Shava has Zimbabwe's ambassador to the UN since 2016 until his recent recalled to take up the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs
As UN Ambassador, Dr Shava must have visited Washington DC and a tour guide must have pointed out some of the buildings involved in the infamous Watergate Scandal. Reminding him of Zimbabwe's own Willowgate scandal in which he, Dr Fredrick Shava, was the star thieving scandal!
Only in a Banana Republic like Zimbabwe can a convicted thieving scandal go on to be the Republic's UN ambassador and now Minister of Foreign Affairs. It is interesting to note that Dr Shava has not lost his wheel-dealing skills.
There is no doubt the issue of outstanding salary was never raised until his appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs was publicly announced. When he cocksure it was unthinkable, even for the President of a Banana Republic to withdraw the appointment, Shava not only brought up the issue of outstanding salary but refused to take up his new job until the bill was paid in full.
"Matsotsi haagerani!" (Thieves do not trust each other and therefore are forever locked in a game of brinkmanship!) as one would say in Shona.
And, guess what, this time it was the President of the Banana Republic who blinked first! He is not one to readily forget or forgive the humiliation of this scandal.
As Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Shava is now the boss of nation's ambassadors and embassy staff whose salaries and allowance have not been paid for years, in many cases. However, if any of them should copy Dr Shava's arm-twisting tactics; he will accuse them of being unpatriotic and ungrateful. He will descend on them like a tonne of bricks. And the President and the regime would expect him to do nothing less!
After all the regime has just instituted a "no work no pay" cabinet decision to punish the teachers and nurses who are withdrawing their labour to push their demands for better pay and working conditions. The plight of the embassy staff is nothing compared to that of the teachers and nurses; the latter's slave wages cannot cover their most basic needs of food, shelter and transport and still the regime insist they must carry out their duties without failure!
So, Dr Shava has no qualms taking his cabinet seat to enforce "no work no pay" policy to force teachers and nurse to accept their slave wage of US$ 100 pm. He refused to work to demand his "US$ 100 000 one-year salary arrears", he was probably paid as much pm in salary and allowances. He was not punished but has since been paid in fully!
Yeah up! My fellow Zimbabweans; ambassador and Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr Fredrick Shava, the star scandal in the Willowgate scandal is back in the Banana Republic. And to mark his return, he has a new, fresh or be it very familiar scandal of one rule for the povo and another for the filthy rich ruling elite. Dr Fredrick Shava the star scandal of Willowgate is back with a bang!
Talk of the Willowgate scandal and the tale is not done without mentioning Dr Fredrick Shama, he was one of the cabinet ministers bought and sold many cars only to lie about it under oath. Well Dr Shava is back in Zimbabwe and already he is embroiled in a new scandal.
"He (Shava) said he would not assume work at the ministry unless his salary arrears were cleared. He was owed about US$100 000. He, like other ambassadors across the world, had not received his salary and benefits for over a year," an official source told The Independent.
"The money has since been paid in full and this is why he assumed work on Tuesday last week."
Dr Shava has Zimbabwe's ambassador to the UN since 2016 until his recent recalled to take up the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs
As UN Ambassador, Dr Shava must have visited Washington DC and a tour guide must have pointed out some of the buildings involved in the infamous Watergate Scandal. Reminding him of Zimbabwe's own Willowgate scandal in which he, Dr Fredrick Shava, was the star thieving scandal!
Only in a Banana Republic like Zimbabwe can a convicted thieving scandal go on to be the Republic's UN ambassador and now Minister of Foreign Affairs. It is interesting to note that Dr Shava has not lost his wheel-dealing skills.
"Matsotsi haagerani!" (Thieves do not trust each other and therefore are forever locked in a game of brinkmanship!) as one would say in Shona.
And, guess what, this time it was the President of the Banana Republic who blinked first! He is not one to readily forget or forgive the humiliation of this scandal.
As Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Shava is now the boss of nation's ambassadors and embassy staff whose salaries and allowance have not been paid for years, in many cases. However, if any of them should copy Dr Shava's arm-twisting tactics; he will accuse them of being unpatriotic and ungrateful. He will descend on them like a tonne of bricks. And the President and the regime would expect him to do nothing less!
After all the regime has just instituted a "no work no pay" cabinet decision to punish the teachers and nurses who are withdrawing their labour to push their demands for better pay and working conditions. The plight of the embassy staff is nothing compared to that of the teachers and nurses; the latter's slave wages cannot cover their most basic needs of food, shelter and transport and still the regime insist they must carry out their duties without failure!
So, Dr Shava has no qualms taking his cabinet seat to enforce "no work no pay" policy to force teachers and nurse to accept their slave wage of US$ 100 pm. He refused to work to demand his "US$ 100 000 one-year salary arrears", he was probably paid as much pm in salary and allowances. He was not punished but has since been paid in fully!
Yeah up! My fellow Zimbabweans; ambassador and Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr Fredrick Shava, the star scandal in the Willowgate scandal is back in the Banana Republic. And to mark his return, he has a new, fresh or be it very familiar scandal of one rule for the povo and another for the filthy rich ruling elite. Dr Fredrick Shava the star scandal of Willowgate is back with a bang!
Source - zimbabwelight.blogspot.com
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