ZIMBABWE – HARARE – State television on Thursday blacked out the eagerly awaited supplementary budget presentation by Finance minister Tendai Biti.

 

The patently biased ZTV, broadcast a cartoon as Biti was presenting his mid-term fiscal review policy to parliament.

 

 

Earlier, the infrastructure to beam the event live was set up outside parliament, with a ZBC outside broadcasting van stationed outside the august house.

 

 

It was not immediately clear why the ZTV did not beam the supplementary budget statement live.

 

This is the first budget statement that has been presented to Parliament without live broadcast. ZTV has shown its open bias in the inclusive government.

 

The MDC information department has been forced to write to ZTV CEO Happison Muchechetere complaining about the blackout of party activities and the Prime Minister’s functions and press briefings.

The blackout of the Finance minister’s statement was said to have been on instructions from the information ministry, pointedly from George Charamba, the permanent secretary in the ministry.
Charamba was not immediately available for comment.

Business was also miffed by the decision to blackout the supplementary budget. “Its surprising that they have taken this decision given how important this presentation is,” said a financial analyst in Harare.

Presenting his mid-term fiscal review statement at Parliament Building in Harare yesterday, Finance Minister Tendai Biti, increased employment cost for the public service from US$377 million to US$528 million and also added US$150 million for salary review support.

Civil servants salaries were scrapped in March when the inclusive Government adopted multi-currency system after demonitised the Zimbabwean dollar.

The Government employees were offered US$100 allowance per month. He said of the budget, civil servants salaries gobbled 70 percent while 30 percent was dedicated to schools, hospitals and upgrading of infrastructure such as roads.

The introduction of salaries put to rest anxieties to civil servants who were complaining over the US$100 allowance.

The civil servants were threatening to go on strike demanding a decent living wage, arguing that the US$100 allowance was inadequate.

The Minister also admitted that the US$100 could not cater for the needs of civil servants.
“We are reviewing remuneration for the civil servants but the salaries will depend on grades. We want to thank the civil servants for understanding and patients during the harsh economic environment,” said Biti.

He announced that civil servants would receive bonus at the end of the year, emphasising that the Government was keen to restore the culture of saving among workers.

 

 

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“We want to guarantee the 13th cheque to the civil servants,” said the Minister. Minister Biti defended the salary figures, saying the Government had no money to pay civil servants high salaries.

He said an audit was underway to flush out ghost workers from the Government’s payroll.

Early this year, the Minister of Education, Sport Art and Culture David Coltart revealed that there were 90 000 teachers on the payroll yet teacher organisations estimate that there are less than 30 000 educators.

“The audit on Government workers is expected to produce a proper payroll. We want a detailed profile of civil servants,” said Biti.

Civil servants, mainly teachers had started protesting against the US$100 allowances but the announcement of the new salary structure is expected to boost the morale for Government workers.

 

DOWNLOAD BITI'S STATEMENT HERE

 

 

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