Zimbabwe public servants set to strike
ZIMBABWE’s public servants are set to embark on a strike today, to put pressure on the government to raise salaries and pensions even as the cash to do so is running out.
Finance Minister Tendai Biti is seeking $400m from Southern African Development Community nations, to plug a hole in the budget created by the withholding of diamond revenue from the state’s coffers.
He is facing enormous pres- sure from several fronts — Zimbabwe’s largest workforce is pressing for a salary hike, while Zanu (PF)-linked war veterans have made fresh demands for an increase in their pensions.
The veterans stormed Mr Biti’s office on Tuesday, bringing to 12 the number of times this year they have entered the government compound. In June last year, Mr Biti’s home was petrol-bombed by unidentified attackers.
Yesterday, Mr Biti appeared to be fighting back and resisting the pressure piled on him to give in to the war veterans’ demand that he resign from office.
“I will not bow down. We are not afraid of anyone. We will continue to do our jobs as we have been assigned to do,” he said.
Mr Biti cannot unilaterally agree to pension increases for the veterans — this decision can only be taken by the cabinet.
International Monetary Fund directors last month warned the unity government not to buckle under pressure and award salary hikes to public servants — a thorn in Mr Biti’s side.
This year’s $4bn budget missed its target after diamond firms in Marange failed to remit $600m to the state’s coffers.
Mr Biti says Zanu (PF) has been siphoning off diamond revenue to finance a “parallel government”, and build a war chest in preparation for the elections.
He said he was pinning his hopes on a lifeline from SA to rescue Zimbabwe’s weakening economy. Mr Biti met Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan last
month to ask for $100m.
“I can’t really disclose the exact amounts that SA has promised us. A lot largely depends on the budget announcement that Mr Gordhan will give later this month; we are watching events closely,” Mr Biti said.
He rebuked the police for yet again failing to protect Treasury department officials by allowing the group of veterans to storm his offices on Tuesday.
“We are unable to guarantee the security of our workers. There is no greater proof of the lack of rule of law and lack of security in the country,” Mr Biti said.
The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), of which Mr Biti is secretary-general, was devising its own plans to “beef up” the security detail of its top brass.
“There is an air of volatility in the country as we head to elections, therefore we can’t take any chances and we need to take precautionary measures,” MDC spokesman Douglas Mwonzora said yesterday.
Political analyst Charles Mangongera said the latest face-off with the war veterans had to be viewed in the context of Zanu (PF)’s strategy to send messages of intimidation to the MDC ahead of the elections.
“It’s a strategy to intimidate him. He has been forthright and boisterous in his dealings with Zanu (PF) and this has obviously caused some ructions in the party,” he said.
“Mr Biti’s demand for transparency in the diamond sector has irked some Zanu (PF) politicians and now they want to silence him. I think he is tough and he will not be easily cowed.”
A Zimbabwe high court ruling on Wednesday gave the green light to President Robert Mugabe’s plans to postpone by-elections in three vacant constituencies until “harmonised” polls in March next year.
This is the strongest sign that elections are just five months away, despite the lack of progress in adopting a raft of political reforms the Southern African Development Community has required from the unity government leaders.