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Government has offered to assist civil servants with US500 rtgs equivalence when they die with immediate effect according to Permanent Secretary for Information.
Nick Mangwana’s tweet read,”Starting Immediately,Govt will pay an equivalent US500 in funeral assistance for any civil servant who passes away.This is regardless of any funeral policy the member may have.The money is paid to a surviving spouse,adult children or agreed dependent.”
Civil Servants have for the past few months been pleading with the government to increase their salaries or to pay them their previous US salaries were teachers earned US520 compared to the US30 equivalent they are earning now.
13 Nurses were in July arrested at Sally Mugabe hospital for allegedly staging an illegal demonstration as they demanded that the government revises their salaries.
Teachers are also currently on strike as they are also appealing with the government to start paying them US520 regardless of the fact that grade and advanced level students are left with days to their final examinations.
However the government has failed to control the situation as videos of students and teachers misbehaving have been circulating on social media.
ZCTU President Peter Mutasa has continuously demanded better salaries and better working conditions on behalf of workers.
“The payment of USD500 upon the death of a civil servant is a good initiative though it is more critical to pay civil servants well while they are alive,”said Setfree Mafukidze a nurse who spoke to Techmag Tv.
Other reactions to Mangwana’s post said,”True today’s USD$500 is converted to RTGS using the rigged foreign currency auction rate so it will be around USD$300.”
“Junta is now a burial society.”
“I do not work to benefit when I die rather I work hard so I can enjoy my sweat this move is mockery,”said a teacher who preferred anonymity when she spoke to this reporter.
Paying someone when they are dead seems a bit disrespectful and can be considered as a sign of ridicule from the government, especially now that civil servants are struggling already when they are alive.
Government may want to consider going back to dollarisation and using multiple currencies as it might solve part of Zimbabwe’s financial crisis.
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