By Tendai Kamhungira
President Robert Mugabe yesterday said government will find ways to improve the welfare of civil servants by increasing their salaries to match the poverty datum line.
Addressing thousands of Zimbabweans that gathered at the National Sports Stadium in Harare to celebrate the country’s 36 years of independence, Mugabe said his government — which has been failing to raise the civil servants’ salaries on time — was working towards improving the situation.
“It is the desire of government that salaries progressively match the poverty datum line. Government apologises for the late disbursement of salaries, bonuses and monthly payments to pensioners, but be rest assured, government is working flat out to improve the situation. Now that the workers have begun contributing towards the pension fund, payment of pensioners will be more predictable and on time,” the 92-year-old president said.
Mugabe, whose government spends three quarters of its $4,1 billion annual budget on salaries, assured civil servants of a pay rise this year despite earlier indications there would be no increase.
Government has been battling a serious economic crisis that has seen it failing to pay last year’s bonus. The government, battling with a $10 billion external debt has to reduce its wage bill to meet targets set under the International Monetary Fund’s Staff Monitored Programme, an informal agreement between a government and IMF staff to monitor the implementation of a particular country’s economic reforms, whose key benchmarks include reducing the government’s wage bill.
This is also happening at a time when Mugabe during his 92nd birthday interview claimed that $15 billion diamonds revenue had been lost from the Chiadzwa mining fields.
He said the government’s drive to take over control of mines had begun reaping positive results.
“Our re-organisation of the mining sector, which includes the consolidated State ownership of the diamond mines and the strategic management of gold mining and gold products has started showing improved results with gold output now 20,2 tonnes, rising expectedly to 25,5 tonnes by the year end,” he said.
Mugabe, who has in the past used Independence Day celebrations to vent his anger against western countries, toned down his rhetoric yesterday.
He said his government is working towards increasing international trade.
“…Zimbabwe has also been making parallel efforts to boost exports by consolidating and expanding existing markets whilst also exploring new markets with the strategic focus on the regional markets.
“In the context of deeper regional integration, we are pursuing trade development through the Southern African Development Community,” Mugabe said, adding the government was facilitating trade through a border efficiency management system.
The initiative will promote trade facilitation and reduce congestion at the country’s borders, he said.
He further said that the government is working towards improving the country’s roads, many of which have deep potholes, rendering them almost impassable.
“With regard to the State highways and other tarred roads, I note with satisfaction that the Harare International Airport Road dualisation project and the Plumtree-Bulawayo-Harare-Mutare highway upgrade and rehabilitation were successfully completed. In addition, several other roads have been widened. Government has found a financier and contractor for the Beitbridge-Harare-Chirundu road, which will be constructed at an estimated cost of $2 billion,” Mugabe said.
He claimed that the economy was improving and that the government has been able to revive other closed industries and some that were on the brink of collapse, further urging people to shun corruption, nepotism and regionalism.
However, statistics show that over 85 percent of Zimbabweans are not formally employed and several companies have shut down since the disputed 2013 elections.
“It is pleasing to note that Air Zimbabwe and the National Railways of Zimbabwe are now steadily on the way to resuscitation,” he said.
The nonagenarian claimed government had also increased electricity output at Hwange Power Station, which he claimed has eased power outages. Daily News
