PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe suggested Saturday that there was a parallel government in his administration as he publicly attacked his finance minister, accusing him of making decisions without consulting the presidency and cabinet.
Addressing thousands of Zimbabweans gathered at the National Sports Stadium in Harare Saturday for the Independence Day celebrations, Mugabe embarrassed his finance minister by publicly reversing the scrapping of bonuses for civil servants recently announced by Chinamasa.
The Zanu PF-administration is struggling to pay salaries for its estimated 500,000 workers with the government wage bill said to be nearly 90 percent of its revenues.
Chinamasa was not at the stadium to suffer his public rebuke. He is understood to be in the United States for the annual World Bank and International Monetary Fund Spring meetings.
In his 35-minute speech, Mugabe thanked civil servants for their continued service to his government despite the current economic hardships and proceeded to claim he only heard of the scrapping of their bonuses through the press.
"l want to make it clear that the report which was in the newspaper that bonuses that were being withdrawn is not government policy. The cabinet did not approve that at all,” said Mugabe.
He added: "We say that is disgusting to us and it will never, never be implemented at all. So your bonuses will come to you.”
Govt has no money
Chinamasa, accompanied by information minister Jonathan Moyo, told reporters last Monday that he was suspending bonus payments for civil servants until 2017 saying the cash-strapped government could not afford the annual gratuity.
“We are paying people to sit in their offices (but) we will not pay because there is no capacity to do so,” said the minister.
“It is paradoxical that government continues to pay bonuses when our paymasters the creators of wealth, industry are actually failing to pay salaries and wages.”
Business leaders and economic commentators welcomed the decision with analyst Luxon Zembe saying, “It does not make economic sense for an institution not performing well to pay bonuses.”
But unions representing the civil servants were outraged and told Chinamasa that he had effectively declared war between the government and its workers.
“To us this is nothing but an open attack and a declaration of war against the workers of Zimbabwe. We must join forces and say NO!! Government must look for money even if they are to borrow it from Satan, we don’t care,” said trade unionist Raymond Majongwe.
And on Saturday, clearly concerned the decision could fuel unrest among citizens struggling to survive in a failing economy, Mugabe overruled his finance minister.
The veteran leader said the civil servants would get their bonuses without revealing where the money would come from.
Parallel government?
However, in remarks quite revealing about the way his administration is operating, Mugabe claimed that Chinamasa never consulted either the presidency or the cabinet before announcing the suspension of the bonuses.
"The presidency was never, never consulted on the matter; we were never consulted - the three of us, that is myself and the vice presidents,” said Mugabe.
“We say that is disgusting to us and it will never, never be implemented at all. So, let the civil servants not be downhearted. That will not happen."
When he announced the decision, Chinamasa said, “The issue of bonuses must never be an entitlement.”
Wrong, said Mugabe Saturday as he vowed that his government would never take away any privileges it extended to its workforce, let alone their thirteenth cheque.
"The rules are that when the government bestows a benefit on civil servants that benefit cannot be withdrawn because it has become a right," said the veteran leader.
"That is there in our rules governing the handling of public servants. When they are given a benefit, we cannot reverse it at all. It has become their right and that is what we stand by; so your bonuses will come to you."
Thrust at the deep end of the government’s empty treasury soon after the Zanu PF victory 2013, Chinamasa is under pressure to find solutions for a fast shrinking economy characterised by a slackening tax base fuelled by massive company closures and an informalised economy.
Acting on the advice of international lenders such as the IMF, he has vowed to cull an obese civil service but, on the evidence of Saturday, he will face stiff resistance from his Zanu PF party.
Addressing thousands of Zimbabweans gathered at the National Sports Stadium in Harare Saturday for the Independence Day celebrations, Mugabe embarrassed his finance minister by publicly reversing the scrapping of bonuses for civil servants recently announced by Chinamasa.
The Zanu PF-administration is struggling to pay salaries for its estimated 500,000 workers with the government wage bill said to be nearly 90 percent of its revenues.
 |
| Mugabe savages rogue Chinamasa, re-instates 13th cheque. |
In his 35-minute speech, Mugabe thanked civil servants for their continued service to his government despite the current economic hardships and proceeded to claim he only heard of the scrapping of their bonuses through the press.
"l want to make it clear that the report which was in the newspaper that bonuses that were being withdrawn is not government policy. The cabinet did not approve that at all,” said Mugabe.
He added: "We say that is disgusting to us and it will never, never be implemented at all. So your bonuses will come to you.”
Govt has no money
Chinamasa, accompanied by information minister Jonathan Moyo, told reporters last Monday that he was suspending bonus payments for civil servants until 2017 saying the cash-strapped government could not afford the annual gratuity.
“We are paying people to sit in their offices (but) we will not pay because there is no capacity to do so,” said the minister.
“It is paradoxical that government continues to pay bonuses when our paymasters the creators of wealth, industry are actually failing to pay salaries and wages.”
Business leaders and economic commentators welcomed the decision with analyst Luxon Zembe saying, “It does not make economic sense for an institution not performing well to pay bonuses.”
But unions representing the civil servants were outraged and told Chinamasa that he had effectively declared war between the government and its workers.
“To us this is nothing but an open attack and a declaration of war against the workers of Zimbabwe. We must join forces and say NO!! Government must look for money even if they are to borrow it from Satan, we don’t care,” said trade unionist Raymond Majongwe.
And on Saturday, clearly concerned the decision could fuel unrest among citizens struggling to survive in a failing economy, Mugabe overruled his finance minister.
The veteran leader said the civil servants would get their bonuses without revealing where the money would come from.
Parallel government?
 |
| Bonus scrap ... Chinamasa (centre) annouces decision with Jonathan Moyo (right) |
"The presidency was never, never consulted on the matter; we were never consulted - the three of us, that is myself and the vice presidents,” said Mugabe.
“We say that is disgusting to us and it will never, never be implemented at all. So, let the civil servants not be downhearted. That will not happen."
When he announced the decision, Chinamasa said, “The issue of bonuses must never be an entitlement.”
Wrong, said Mugabe Saturday as he vowed that his government would never take away any privileges it extended to its workforce, let alone their thirteenth cheque.
"The rules are that when the government bestows a benefit on civil servants that benefit cannot be withdrawn because it has become a right," said the veteran leader.
"That is there in our rules governing the handling of public servants. When they are given a benefit, we cannot reverse it at all. It has become their right and that is what we stand by; so your bonuses will come to you."
Thrust at the deep end of the government’s empty treasury soon after the Zanu PF victory 2013, Chinamasa is under pressure to find solutions for a fast shrinking economy characterised by a slackening tax base fuelled by massive company closures and an informalised economy.
Acting on the advice of international lenders such as the IMF, he has vowed to cull an obese civil service but, on the evidence of Saturday, he will face stiff resistance from his Zanu PF party.
