Ray Nkosi | Former Minister for Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, David Coltart has castigated President Robert Mugabe’s government move to pay civil servants their bonuses, saying the nation cannot afford such a move.
This is after government on Monday gave in to the demands by civil servants to have their bonuses paid in cash and not residential stands as previously proposed.
Coltart questions where the money to pay the bonuses is going to come from, “We already know that government expenditure to the end of November last year exceeded revenue by over US$ 1 billion . These bonus payments simply add to that deficit.”
Wrote the former minister, “whilst I am sympathetic towards teachers in particular who desperately need to be paid more, the Nation cannot afford the payment of bonuses at present. Inevitably the decision to pay bonuses, announced yesterday, is ultimately going to make things even harder for civil servants.”
Coltart sides with Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa who he says recognized this but it was overridden by populists who don’t have a clue how to run an economy.
“The bottom line is that bonuses should not have been paid in the first place. Unemployed people don’t get bonuses and most in the private sector are not getting bonuses,” said Coltart.
“In the absence of a rational explanation, of how this is going to be paid for, one has to assume that the ruining party will either print worthless bond notes or issue equally worthless treasury bills to fund this. Whatever the case it will drive the economy further downwards,” he explains.
Coltart…uyasuza nje kuphela….,you oppose to everything…,.where is the money coming from for Cde Mugabe’s Trips?…..
Words from sm1 who oppose for the sake of it. At first it was why is the Gvt not paying bonuses now its why are they being paid.
Mr Coltart the government will get money from the same source that they get to fund Mugabe’s trips. Judging by the president’s visits this government is not poor. They earn lots of revenue from our natural resources which largely is unaccounted for. We do all he donkey work for them so they should pay us. Am surprised that you of all people believe that this government can resuscitate the economy…what economy.. these same people have presided over the destruction of a ones vibrant economy and they continually tell us that all is well so let them just pay up and stop complaining about how the economy will be harmed by the payments. And dont think that any saving by these idiots will be channelled towards an economic development activities.., they will channel the money to youth training or other such activities!