Zimbabwe civil servants fume over unpaid 2023 allowances

Civil servants engaged in the 2023 mobile registration exercise are expressing mounting frustration over unpaid allowances owed by the Civil Registry Department. Despite completing the program two years ago, many workers who used personal funds to support the exercise have yet to receive full payment.

Section 24 a (1) of the Public Service Act mandates subsistence allowances to cover meals and accommodation costs when staff are away from home for extended periods. However, the failure to clear these outstanding payments is being viewed by affected civil servants as a breach of contract.

Activist Linda Masarira, writing on behalf of the disgruntled workers in a letter addressed to the Registrar General, condemned the department for its silence and unfair treatment. She highlighted concerns over discrepancies in partial payments made in May 2025, which amounted to just 31 percent of the outstanding allowances and were unevenly distributed across provinces.

"What is more concerning is that it has been two years since we completed the mobile registration programme and we are still pleading for the full settlement of our allowances from your reputable office," Masarira stated. "Reliable information at our disposal is that there were serious discrepancies in terms of payments across all provinces. No communication has been formally made by the department in terms of the issue."

Copies of the letter were also sent to the Ministries of Home Affairs and Finance as well as the Public Service Commission. Attempts to reach Registrar General Henry Machiri for comment were unsuccessful.

Last year, civil servants had threatened legal action against the government over the outstanding payments, which prompted the Treasury to release partial funds. However, a balance of approximately US$3.7 million remains unpaid.

In a related development, contract workers who participated in the 2024 economic census under the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat) have also raised grievances over unpaid wages. These former workers claim they received only half of their agreed compensation, pegged at ZiG$5,800, and have heard nothing regarding the remaining balance for over six months.

In a petition submitted to ZimStat, the workers detailed the financial hardship caused by the delayed payments. "We incurred significant personal expenditures, many of us borrowing from lenders with the expectation of repayment once allowances were disbursed," the petition read. "Due to non-payment, we are now saddled with mounting debts, accrued interest, and deteriorating financial well-being."

Both sets of workers are demanding urgent government intervention to resolve these payment delays, stressing that the continued silence and failure to meet obligations are not only unfair but jeopardise their livelihoods.