Government owes diplomats at the country’s foreign missions, more than $40million in salaries.
This was revealed yesterday in parliament as non-constituency Member of Parliament Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga, who sits on a parliamentary committee on foreign affairs said Treasury should cut travel costs and prioritise the welfare of ambassadors and embassy staff in foreign countries who have gone for months without receiving salaries.
Although Finance ministry secretary Willard Manungo, claimed that government owes over $10 million arrears for at least 43 diplomatic missions, the figure was revealed to far much higher.
“We have 43 foreign missions and we are not able to pay their salaries on time as we are doing with other civil servants,
“We are now proposing that we transfer their salaries to Salary Service Bureau through which we pay all the other civil servants rather than putting it through the ministry of Foreign Affairs.” Manungo claimed.
But in a separate hearing it was revealed as of March this year, staff at Zimbabwe’s foreign missions had not been paid for eight months and were owed $40 million in salary arrears. Foreign affairs secretary, Joey Bimha said then they have not received a salary increase in over 10 years as government struggles with budgetary constraints.
“You cannot have all your 100-plus directors travelling business class, if you look at your air travel expenses given the number of delegations you take to (foreign) summits, it is unsustainable,” said Misihairabwi-Mushonga, a former minister of regional integration and international co-operation in Zimbabwe’s unity government between 2009-13.
“How is it that a nation that is so poorly resourced can still behave in such a manner like there is so much money in the country yet we are facing a crisis?”…ALSO READ – Parliament Orders ‘High Flying’ Got Officials to Travel Economy Class