ZimOnline
By Lizwe Sebata
27 July 2009

BULAWAYO – A special parliamentary committee leading Zimbabwe’s constitutional reforms wants top officials of President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party prosecuted for disrupting a conference to discuss the reforms two weeks ago, one of the committee’s chairmen Douglas Mwonzora said at the weekend.

Mwonzora, from Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC party, said video evidence compiled by the committee and showing ZANU PF legislators disrupting the conference would be handed over to Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara and to the police.

“We have complied videos and disks which will be used as evidence during the prosecution of the legislators and other people who disrupted the conference . . . the days of lawlessness have to come to an end,” said Mwonzora, addressing a meeting to discuss constitutional reforms in the city of Bulawayo.

It was not immediately clear whether ZANU PF was in agreement with Mwonzora that its members should be prosecuted for disrupting the conference.

The representative of Mugabe’s party on the three-man team chairing the constitutional reform process, Paul Mangwana, was not available for comment on the matter.

David Coltart, the other chairman from Mutambara’s MDC party on the committee was also not available for comment on the matter.

However Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Mutambara speaking soon after abandonment of the conference indicated that no action would be taken against those who had caused the conference to flop on its first day.

Some senior ZANU PF officials, war veterans and the party’s militant youth wing broke up the conference on July 13, insisting it could not go ahead unless delegates sang the national anthem first.

The conference only resumed the next day after Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Mutambara spoke strongly against the mobs that had disrupted the first day of the meeting that had been called to map out the course of constitutional reforms.

Zimbabwe is on a programme to write a new constitution that should lead to the holding of free and fair elections in about 24 months.

Zimbabweans hope a new constitution will guarantee human rights, strengthen the role of Parliament and curtail the president’s powers, as well as guaranteeing civil, political and media freedoms.

The new constitution will replace the current Lancaster House Constitution written in 1979 before independence from Britain. The charter has been amended 19 times since independence in 1980.

Critics say the majority of the amendments have been to further entrench Mugabe and ZANU PF’s hold on power.

Zimbabwe Guardian
By Ralph Mutema
27 July 2009

THE Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe has slammed Finance Minister Tendai Biti for failing to recognize the importance of teachers in his latest mid-term budget statement.

In a statement released to the Zimbabwe Guardian PTUZ said they “feel highly disturbed that the Minister of Finance presented the Mid-term Fiscal Policy without engaging teacher unions.”

The union, which is an affiliate of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions said Biti behaved like “Father Christmas” giving ‘handout’ to teachers.

“We do not tolerate the doctrine of state paternalism where government behaves as Father Christmas.

“Teachers are not children of the government; they are partners who should be consulted whenever decisions which affect them are being made,” read the statement.

The militant teachers’ union said the additional USD150 million budgeted by Biti for government is “unacceptably too low”.

“The decision to convert the allowances into salaries with scale differentials is against the concept of shared misery. This will advantage those in managerial posts … and disadvantage the majority of workers like teachers who had no hand in the collapse of the economy.”

PTUZ demanded that all civil servants should be paid an “equal and deductible allowance” to help cover medical and other policies and to raise them above the Poverty Datum Line (PDL).

“In line with the doctrine of shared misery, we demand that all public servants be paid an equal and deductible allowance for the purposes of funeral and medical policies up to a time when government can pay salaries above the PDL.”

The Union also called on the Minister of Education, Sport, Art and Culture, David Coltart to implement Article VII clauses 7.1 (c) and (e) where the minister agreed to either reinstate or reappoint teachers who left the profession due to economic and political circumstances.

The teachers who sought reappointment have remained unpaid since February 2009.

“They are now being ‘charged’ and getting ‘fired.’ After these rituals, they are asked to reapply, undergo ‘security vetting’ and ‘medical examination’.

“Imagine teachers who ran away from violence being asked to do all this. They are now suspected criminals and suspected ill persons,” read the statement issued by Raymond Majongwe, PTUZ Secretary General.

Sunday Mail
By Mtandazo Dube
26 July 2009

ALTHOUGH there has been a cash injection by the Culture Fund, this year’s Zimbabwe International Book Fair (ZIBF), which kicks off tomorrow and ends on Saturday, could still lack the glitz and glamour of yesteryear due to financial constraints.

The money received from the Culture Fund, although well meant, is a paltry drop in the ocean for a book fair that now has to compete with other well funded fairs like the recently ended Cape Town Book Fair.

ZIBF received US$10 000 from the Culture Fund to resuscitate the literature exhibition, which was at the brink of collapse, but the acting director, Greenfield Chilongo, fears the money is way too little and can only help them carry out the basics.

The organisers agree that this amount is the epitome of the biblical five loaves and two fish, which will take another very holy miracle to transform into a meaningful event.

“This money that we received is not enough to cover our budget, but we are still very much happy with the little that we got, because it will go a long way in making this year’s exhibition better than it would have been without the money.

“We have been saved because stakeholders would have sacrificed a lot more if we had not received this money, therefore, it is important that we recognise the fact that the Culture Fund has tried to do everything they can to assist,” said Chilongo.

ZIBF used to be the largest and most important book fair in sub-Saharan Africa, held annually during the first week of August in the Harare Gardens before losing its lustre and finally failing to take place altogether.

The fair has now become a distant memory in the minds of former enthusiasts and the organisers may well need a separate US$10 000 to dole out to fair goers to pursuade them to attend as interest in the fair has all but waned!

To begin with, even in the Book Fair’s best of days, it made the headlines for an abstract annual dissembling and running riot of fair goers who disapproved of the Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe’s (GALZ) exhibition rather than for attracting mature debate and names around the theme of books around which it was woven. This year threatens to bring nothing new.

However, Chilongo says even though ZIBF may not live up to the standards set before, he is sure that the literature exhibition will eventually reclaim its place as the best and most important book fair in Southern Africa.
“There is no doubt that we will get back to the top, it is just a matter of when. I have been to the Cape Town Book Fair and let me say I have my reservations about the way they conduct their exhibition.

“It is quite big and glamorous, which is a plus, but it lacks that African touch that we have.

“It is like a European festival in Africa and that is not what we want in an African book fair.

“Many people may say most of our exhibitors and sponsors have left us for the Cape Town Book Fair, but I doubt that very much because most of our former participants are itching to come back,” he said.

The theme for this year is “Reading and Writing, Zimbabwe”, which Chilongo described as centred on encouraging authors on writing literary works focusing on national issues rather than having local readers relying on international books.

“We want people to understand the country from a literature point of view. The use of such techniques as satire and irony is a rich way of disseminating important information about the country.

“We are, therefore, calling on writers and exhibitors to come up with products that embody the situation on the ground.”

He said this year’s book fair was aimed at offering local authors more prominence as compared to foreign ones.

Some of the local authors expected to grace this year’s edition, include Shimmer Chinodya, Ignatius Mabasa, Charles Mungoshi, Chirikure Chirikure and Virginia Phiri, among many others.

The Minister of Education Sport, Arts and Culture, Senator David Coltart, will officially open the book fair and Professor Hope Sadza, the Vice-Chancellor of Women’s University in Africa, will give the keynote address.

Several topics have been lined up for the discussions at the Indaba session and these include media reading and writing, which will probe issues centred on the presentation of media stories.

Chilongo said unlike in previous years, there would be free entrance for the public to the fair this year.

The first three days of the festival will see acclaimed regional literary figures leading a number of workshops before the exhibition opens to the public on July 29.

ZimEye.org
By Fortune-Galangwe
24 July 2009

The Zimbabwe economy is showing signs of life commensurately with the Prime Minister’s European trip which hit a brick wall where he met with European heads of state lobbying them for aid. The dollarization of the economy put an end to hyperinflation, artificial interest rates and unrealistic exchange rates. The liberalization of the economy has created an environment where any business can thrive.So the minister of Finance Tendai Biti has presented the much awaited Mid-Term Policy Review Statement on 16 July 2009 to Parliament which sent a frigid feeling in the spines of various sectors of society.Players on the production side let out a deep a sigh of tax relief as the Import Duty on most raw materials was scrapped while the Duty Free on the importation of basic commodities was extended to December 31 this year.

BACK TO THE OLD SHIP

Prices of basic commodities has suddenly skyrocketed again amid expectations that the ailing economy is heading for better .Retailers have raised the prices the prices of most basic commodities between 10% and 60%.In March a green laundry bar costs between $0,50 and $0,60 in most retail shops but the same commodity costs between $1,10 and $1,40 as we speak in most retail shops. The Minister of Finance Tendai Biti revealed that he has extended the Duty Free on the Importation of basic commodities to December 31 this year in his fiscal pronouncement .The Finance Minister also scrapped the Import Duty on raw materials to increase local production when he presented The Mid-Term Policy to Parliament on the 15 0f July 2009.Biti’s prescription is expected to reduce the skyrocketing of basic commodities in Zimbabwe.

Retailers have attributed continual price increases in basic commodities to the firming of the Rand against the United States Dollar .Since the dollarization of the Zimbabwean economy most retail shops are purchasing their stock from South Africa as the local industry production is still below to satisfy the retail industry. The retailers complain that the South African suppliers are offering them an unfavourable low exchange rate when they purchase their orders from them.

The retailers have resorted to the continual price hikes of most imported basic commodities if their shops are to remain viable. However, the retail industry is still obsessed by the spirit of the hyperinflationary ghost of earning super profits overnight .Biti has ordered the retailers to desist from increasing the prices of basic commodities whenever the salaries of civil servants are reviewed. Banks have also increased withdrawal charges between US$1-US$4 per single transaction and monthly charges had been pegged between US$8-US$13. However, only 7 out of 18 Zimswitch banks are now active and processing US$ denominated transactions since the adoption of the multiple currency economy.

THE MYSTERY OF THE ZIMBAWEAN DOLLAR

The Zimbabwean dollar ceased to be legal tender in February this year when the economy was dollarised. In March this year Minister of Finance Tendai Biti declared that the Zimbabwean dollar was moribund and would not be revived very soon as it was detrimental to the economy. The Minister of Economic Planning and Development Elton Mangoma also added his voice in dismissing the local currency as legal tender in the dollarised economy of Zimbabwe. He told a Mining Conference in the United Kingdom that the revival of the local currency would scare away foreign investors who would want to initiate businesses in Zimbabwe.

However, since the inception of the dollarised economy ,the Zimbabwean dollar is still accepted “as legal tender” in most commuter where it plays a pivotal role of curbing the change problem among the passengers. Only the Bearer cheques of the old Z$50 billion denomination are accepted “as legal tender” by the Kombi conductors and Touts where they use “an exchange rate” of Z$3,6 Trillion to US$1.

The Finance Minister has announced the demonetization of the Zimbabwean dollar with effect from “the 15 July 2009“.He also revealed that the government had set aside US$6 million to get rid of remnants of the local currency. He assured that the local currency would be reintroduced at a later stage when the economy improves.

ADDING SALT TO THE HEALING WOUND

The scarcity of fuel and its continual price increases in Zimbabwe has ignited price hikes of most basic commodities in the retail industry and fares in the transport sector. Most service stations in Harare are selling petrol at US$1,50 per liter while diesel is being sold at US$1,06 per litre. In Chinhoyi petrol is pegged at US$2,00 at most service stations. The scarcity of diesel in Zimbabwe have forced some players in the transport sector to withdrew their services, resulting in commuters failing to get transport to and from work.

Only the effects of the new fiscal exemptions on fuel shall be felt on a wider scale much later.
Transport operators have resorted to fare increases to between 50% and 100% a development which has left commuters crying foul. A trip from Harare to Bulawayo now costs US$15from US$8 and the Harare-Masvingo trip costs US$8 from US$5. Fuel costs has created an inflationary increase which is now above the -1%recorded in May.

Minister Biti has directed fuel suppliers to reduce the price of the commodity with immediate effect.
The Minister also explained that the government has reduced excise duty on diesel to US 16 cents from US 20 cents with effect from 17 July 2009.Biti had revealed that it was rational to scrap excise duty on diesel since it is mostly used by the productive sector of the economy. Duty levied on petrol remains at US 20 cents. The reduction of excise duty is expected to reduce the prices of diesel and transport fares in Zimbabwe.

DEALING WITH THE BULL

Former Petroleum Market Association President, Mr Masimba Kambarami has attributed the fuel price hikes to the increase of prices on the world market. Some players have accused the local and international fuel suppliers of forming curtails which have led to the scarcity and price increases of fuel. However, the main root cause which triggered the fuel price is the issue of fuel price controls. In March the Minister of Energy and Power Development Elias Mudzuri announced the price controls of fuel ; a scenario which caused fuel suppliers to hold on to their commodity which resulted in the scarcity and continual price rises of the commodity.

COST OF LIVING RISES VERSUS THE FATE OF GENERAL POPULACE

The continual rise in the cost of living increases in an economy which is believed to be in a monthly deflation of -1% has stung mercilessly on the narrow pockets of the generality of the public.
Since February, civil servants have been earning a minor allowance of US$100 and a salary pegged in Zimbabwean dollars .On several occasions civil servants have demonstrated over poor remuneration and they have threatened to go on a nationwide strike if the government did not address and fulfill their promises.

On the third of July the Minister of Education, Sport, Art and Culture David Coltart told teachers’ representatives at a meeting that the government was working flat to improve their salaries and working conditions and that of other civil servants.

The finance minister has divulged that civil servants will start receiving their salaries with effect from 1 July 2009 that will see a civil servant earning an average of US$140.However, the minister revealed that the new salary structure was being finalized by the Public Service Commission and would be announced in due course. It is still not clear whether the average earning of US$140 is the Gross Income or Net Income.

VARIOUS, LACKLUSTRE AND UNREACHABLE HEAVEN DESTINATIONS

In March this year Minister of Finance Tendai Biti predicted a 6% annual economic growth rate and in June the Deputy Minister of Economic Planning and Investment Promotion Dr Samuel Undenge told journalists in Egypt that the economy would grow by 2,8% annually. Talk about a proclivity for policy inconsistency.

In June again Minister Biti reiterated that the economy had grown by 1,8% between February and April. He assured that if the economic trend continues in that direction a 4% annual growth rate will be achieved in December. Indelible See-saw logic indeed.

Economic recovery will not occur overnight in Zimbabwe. Is investing in Zimbabwe still a difficult decision to make?. In a country where more than US$20 billion reserves are found and other vast natural and human resources which the country possesses. The country should utilize its comparative and absolute advantages effectively and wisely for its benefit. Surely, with a complete economic transformation that will panel beat Zimbabwe’s Indigenous and Economic empowerment Policy ,with the utilization of substantial financial assistance from the East and meager financial assistance from the West, Zimbabwe could deliver decent returns.

The Financial Gazette
By Dumisani Ndlela
24 July 2009

Harare — HIGH school students received their results for the examinations they wrote in November last year just six weeks ago. A ministerial directive to government schools demanded that the children who had failed had to be withdrawn from school. Our Staff Reporter Dumisani Ndlela provides an insight into how students are being affected by the transgressions in the education sector.

EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD Tendai Sithole (not his real name), a bright and promising student, has always wanted to become a chartered accountant. Instead of being at school working towards his aspirations, he is sitting at home, bored and dejected.

“I hate it all,” said Tendai, who has been at home for well over a month now, showing great pain discussing the issue.

Like the majority of “O” Level students around the country, Tendai was allowed to enrol for “A” Level using mid-year school examination results. Schools settled on this policy after realising the Zimbabwe Schools Ex-aminations Council (ZIMSEC) test results would be significantly delayed.

The results, which usually come out during the first few weeks of the first term, only came out in May — six to seven weeks into the second term.

Soon after the results were ann-ounced, Education Sports and Culture Minister David Coltart issued a directive instructing schools to withdraw all “A” Level students who had failed their “O” Level exams.
Tendai was caught up in the ensuing storm. Tendai’s case represents that of hundreds of students across the country who became victims of a crumbling education system sma-rting from a host of problems.

The disaster has not only affected students wishing to proceed to “A” Level; even those planning on a university education, have been affected.

Augustine Kutama, a student at a Catholic-run school in Manic-aland had 7 As and two Bs for the nine subjects he wrote for “O” Levels in 2006.

As an accomplished and hard working student, he was determined to go to university and applied for a scholarship with a United States university.

The interviews for this scholarship were held in March.

He failed to secure the scholarship bec-ause he did not have “A” Level results. When his results finally came out in June, he had 2 As and a B or 14 points from three subjects, enough to have easily secured him the scholarship.

His father said if Augustine was not a religious person, he would have committed suicide.

Such blunders are blamed on a crumbling education system, whi-ch analysts said had recently become too familiar for high failure rates.

And this year, it resulted in thousands of students being turned away from school after initially being enrolled for “A” Level using mid-year school examination results.

A government boys’ high school in Harare decided to keep all their students who had failed.

They admit they are defying the ministerial directive, “but we realised our teachers would be left without classes because almost 70 percent of the students we have enrolled failed their ‘O’ Levels,” said a senior school administrator who cannot be named because of government policy.

But the high failure rate meant that teachers have the invidious task of teaching “A” Level students who were not properly qualified to do “A” Level, something that could further affect teacher morale in an environment of low incomes.

At the same time school authorities ack-nowledge that parents have invested heavily in their children by buying uniforms for summer and winter and had paid school fees for two terms.

“We’ve asked the students to rewrite the exams they failed in June. Remember, the students and parents had invested substantially towards this and it seemed unfair for us to just send them off,” explained the senior school administrator.

Teachers told of unprecedented failure rates in last year’s examinations, blaming government for turning a blind eye to teachers’ welfare and ignoring deteriorating standards in the education delivery system.

Teachers fled Zimb-abwe due to an economic crisis, going to countries like South Africa.

While others, mainly science teachers, were recruited into South African schools, the majority are said to be involved in manual work primarily in the construction industry and the hotel and leisure sector.
Now, schools are short of qualified teachers, and those currently serving in the system are frustrated by poor remuneration and working conditions.

Even as the inclusive government invol-ving the two Move-ment Democratic Cha-nge formations and ZANU-PF battles to right years of economic decline and resuscitate the ailing education system, sta-keholders said the situation remains dire.

Even if students are given the opportunity to re-write during the June sitting of the “O” Level exams they have not had much time to study because there was very little time between the annou-ncement of results and sitting of exams.

The high failure rates will continue to increase if the remedies are not sought for the challenges faced by the education sector.

Students studying for their “O” Levels explained that teachers give them the impression that the syllabi cannot be covered adequately during normal school hours and so they persuade parents that it is in the best interests of the students to participate in “extra lessons”.

During these extra lessons the teachers ensure that they cover a particular subject thoroughly and comprehensively in contrast to the rushed manner that characterises normal time class sessions.
The extra lessons cost US$2 per subject — a figure that is beyond the reach of the majority of Zimb-abweans.

Enoch Paradzai, the national coordinator of the Progressive Teac-hers Union of Zimb-abwe (PTUZ), said government had to take responsibility for the high failure rates, which he said was a result of ineptitude in government institutions as well as a failure to recognise the importance of teachers in the country.

The education sector last year was characterised by a number of disruptions for which, students, parents, teachers and schools have suffered immeasurably.

Most of the term teaching periods were disrupted by mass exodus of teachers of critical subjects, political violence that impacted heavily on teachers, teacher strikes, ZIMSEC staff strikes and national elections.

The impact of such disruptions has been felt by students, particularly those in exam writing classes.
Schools are still depleted of teachers, despite a government plea to lure them to help rebuild the grounded education system.

According to a Zimbabwe Teachers Association, at least 20 000 teachers have left the country for South Africa to look for greener pastures.

South Africa poa-ched qualified teachers from Zimbabwe last year because they had a shortage of teachers in their country.

A Harare-based sc-hool teacher, who declined to give his name for professional reasons, said the situation was worsening, despite public pledges to turn the education system around.

Schools still did not have text books, laboratories were unequip-ped, and those schools that closed due to political violence are struggling to win back the confidence of qualified teachers, who fled marauding gangs of political muggers terrorising mainly rural schools.

But more depressing, those teachers that returned after the government’s call say they have not received their US$100 per month allowances since being engaged and are on “go slow”.

“Most of us are hanging around hoping this will eventually impro-ve,” one female teacher at a high school in Kambuzuma said, indicating that staff morale remained low, and that teachers were only doing “as much as our pay is worth”.

Teachers from PTUZ have already embarked on a weekly boycott every — Friday — in an attempt to force government to review their working conditions and salaries.

This will inevitably add to a plethora of woes already besetting the education system.

Infrastructure is dilapidated, and most schools do not have reading material for students. One school teacher said students in her class were sharing one text book at a ratio of 10:1, making it available to any one of the students once in a fortnight.

The casualties will remain the students and inevitably, Zimbabwe’s future.

VOA
By Peta Thornycroft
23 July 2009

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s office and independent monitors are accusing President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF Party loyalists of hundreds of breaches of the political agreement that led to Zimbabwe’s inclusive government. The breaches are said to include the expulsion of several Movement for Democratic Change legislators from parliament.

Officials from Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s office say he is to meet Saturday with South African President Jacob Zuma, the chairman of the Southern Africa Development Community. Mr. Tsvangirai is to present Mr. Zuma a list of 700 documented breaches of the political agreement negotiated between the Movement for Democratic Change and ZANU-PF last September.

The Southern Africa Development Community and the African Union are guarantors of Zimbabwe’s government of national unity.

Independent monitors say President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF has been more in breach than compliance with the political agreement.

Zimbabwe’s media monitoring project publishes lists of ZANU-PF media offenses, in weekly reports. For example, the project reports state-controlled media – including radio, television and the only daily newspaper – refer to Mr. Mugabe as head of state and head of government. This is in conflict with the agreement that stipulates Mr. Tsvangirai is head of government.

In addition, the MDC says scores of party legislators, students, activists, lawyers and ordinary party members have been arrested or are missing.

Prime Minister Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change holds a slim majority in Zimbabwe’s parliament, but some MDC parliament members are awaiting trial or have been convicted of crimes and have been suspended from parliament. The MDC says the charges against the parliament members are politically motivated.

Two MDC legislators were refused entry to parliament by senior ZANU-PF civil servants last week. Three others were also sentenced for longer than six months and expect to be refused entry.

Education Minister David Coltart told VOA there is zero compliance by ZANU-PF with the spirit of the political agreement.

Thabitha Khumalo is a member of the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee tasked to help keep Zimbabwe’s political agreement on track. She says the committee seldom meets and is “useless.”

Political analysts say Mr. Mugabe’s only legitimacy as head of state comes through the unity government, because he received far less votes than Mr. Tsvangirai in the first round of last year’s presidential election. Political violence drove Mr. Tsvangirai to withdraw from the run-off, in which Mr. Mugabe was the only contestant.

SW Radio Africa
By Violet Gonda
22 July 2009

Eliphas Mukonoweshuro, the Minister for Public Service, announced on Tuesday an increase in allowances for civil servants starting this month. Teachers will see their allowances go from $100 a month to $145 (after bank charges and taxes) while doctors will receive $170.

However, the salary increases have not been received well by the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), which has described the increases as an insult to the teaching profession. PTUZ President Takavafira Zhou said teachers have now been put in grade D with a gross salary of US$165, which is a net salary of $155 and that is reduced further to $145, after bank charges. He said teachers feel betrayed as the salaries are still unreasonably low. The union has resolved to continue with its weekly Friday industrial action.

Furthermore the teaching fraternity is not happy that the pay day has been changed from Tuesday to next Monday. Zhou said many teachers had travelled to the cities to get their salaries, only to be told that they will receive their money on 27th July.

Leaders of the union have lashed out at Finance Minister Tendai Biti and Mukonoweshuro, as they say they are maintaining the ZANU PF hard-line stance of exclusion.

PTUZ Secretary General Raymond Majongwe is quoted by the website Kubatana saying: “Tendai Biti has continued and perpetuated the Zanu PF way of doing things . . .that he sits with whoever he sits with and he makes his presentations like Father Christmas without prior consultations with relevant stakeholders like trade unions.”

Zhou said it is on the basic principles of social engagement that his union is criticising the Finance Minister who went on to announce ‘a budget insulting to teachers’ without consultation.

With respect to Professor Mukonoweshuro, Zhou said: “We were hoping that this was a man, coming from a labour background and representing the MDC-T, would perhaps operate a new system.

Unfortunately he has maintained the status quo and continues to run the Public Service as if it was run by ZANU PF.”

We were not able to reach the Public Service Minister, but Zhou claimed Professor Mukonoweshuro ‘only consults’ trade unions that are perceived to tow the government line – such as the Zimbabwe Teachers Association (ZIMTA). He said: “On Tuesday the Public Service Commission met with the Apex Council (which engages with unions and civil servants) and unfortunately we were not even invited and we were not even privy to the discussions that took place.”

But the teachers’ body did have praise for their Education Minister, David Coltart. Zhou said Coltart is like former Education Ministers Dzingai Mutumbuka and Fay Chung, who listened and engaged all parties. “But unfortunately he is not getting the compliments he should be getting from the Public Service Commission, from Professor Mukonoweshuro as well as from his permanent Secretary Dr. Steven Manyere,” said the PTUZ President.

The Zimbabwe Telegraph
By Getrude Gumede
21 July 2009

ZIMBABWE – BULAWAYO – Zimbabwean civil servants, mostly teachers were on Tuesday stranded at banks after failing to access salaries amid reports that the payday has been deferred to next week.
By 8am, scores of teachers were seen queuing at banks in anticipation of withdrawing salaries but they were shocked when told by bank officials that their account balances did not reflect salary deposits.

The teachers, who also professed ignorance about the amount of money they would be paid this month, were furious over the delay in payment of salaries.

However, the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture sent a circular to teachers informing them about the deferment of the payday from 21 July to 28 July.

Contacted for comment, the Minister David Coltart said he was not aware that teachers were yet to receive their salaries.

He promised to “do all I can to make sure that teachers are paid on time.”

A teacher who asked not to be named said: “I went to the bank this morning expecting to get my salary but I was left stranded because there was no money. We urge the Government or rather our parent ministry to notify us in advance before we make our way to the bank only to be told that there is no salary.”

The civil servants said they were struggling to make ends meet with the US$100 allowance and the delay in payment of salaries has worsened the situation.

They said it was disheartening to note that the Government was taking time to give them payslips to enable them to budget accordingly.

“Considering that we got paid a paltry US$100 last month, the Government should be sensitive and make sure we urgently get the money for basic needs. After all, we don’t even know how much we are supposed to be paid,” said a civil servant.

The delay in salaries could be that the Government announced the budget allocation for employment costs on Thursday last week.

The Public Service Commission is said to be still in the process of calculating the salaries using the guidelines that were released by Finance Minister Tendai Biti, last week.

Minister Biti increased employment cost for the public service from US$377 million to US$528 million and set aside an additional US$151 million to year-end to support implementation of a modest pay structure.

He also allocated a further US$14 million per month over and above the current US$34 million to support a review covering the period from July 2009.

Salaries for civil servants were scrapped in March when the inclusive Government adopted multi-currency system after demonetising the Zimbabwean dollar.

The Government employees were offered US$100 allowance per month.

Civil servants have been threatening to strike over the US$100 but the re-introduction of salaries put their anxieties to rest.

ZimOnline
by Andrew Moyo
16 July 2009

HARARE – The militant Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) yesterday declared it would take its demonstrations over salary increments to President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s offices after an attempt by protesting members to meet Public Service Minister Eliphas Mukonoweshuro failed on Monday.

PTUZ president Takavafira Zhou told ZimOnline that they felt Mugabe, a former teacher, would understand their grievances more than any other person in government but they would have to approach the PM before staging demonstrations at the veteran leader’s offices.

Zhou said about 200 teachers demonstrated in Harare on Monday under police escort.

“We went to the Public Service Commission but because they had already heard that we were coming they all disappeared leaving only secretaries manning offices,” said Zhou, adding that the protesting teachers were insulted by the secretaries.

“They asked us why we behaved as if we were the only one in need of money.”

The PTUZ leader said: “We have discovered that Mukonoweshuro has renounced his responsibility and is not prepared to entertain us. So we have resolved that demonstrations will now target the President and the Prime Minister’s offices. We will start with the PM’s office. If nothing is done we will go to the President’s office, one of the first successful teachers in Zimbabwe.”

Teachers have been battling to get the government to review their current earnings from the US$100 monthly allowance that government pays all its workers to US$454, embarking on a Friday class boycott and threatening to intensify the action if government fails to address their concerns.

Last week, the PTUZ staged demonstrations in several cities but were blocked by the police in Mutare, Gweru, Kwekwe and Chinhoyi, where they filed High Court petitions to have the police action declared null and void.
The courts were still looking at the applications, according to Zhou.

“We have filed High Court orders in these towns because police prevented teachers from demonstrating, even after initially approving our applications. There was a 75 percent success, 75 percent school closures were registered in these areas. In Harare we will be demonstrating next week,” the PTUZ president claimed.

He said 150 PTUZ members had downed chalks in Masvingo, 130 had not gone to work in Bulawayo, 145 teachers were participating in the demonstrations in Chinhoyi and 85 teachers had gathered for the demonstrations in Kwekwe before police said they could not go ahead.

Demonstrations could not take place in Harare because the PTUZ felt there were so many programmes going on at the time, including preparations for the constitutional conference.

Education Minister David Coltart told ZimOnline last week he had received reports of the demonstrations in Bulawayo but he had not heard of any reports in other parts of the country.

Coltart has in the past met teachers’ union leaders to urge them to be patient as the government tries to mobilise resources from donors to improve salaries and working conditions.

On Monday last week the largest union representing teachers in the country, the Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association (ZIMTA), threatened to go on strike if they did not get a pay rise by month-end.