Maravi

(NEWZIMBABWE) Mugabe farm hands paid more than nurses

Mugabe farm hands paid more than nurses
by Staff Reporter
31/01/2011 00:00:00

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe has revealed his farm workers are paid more than nurses and teachers – proof, he says, that the country’s 236,000 state employees are not being paid a fair wage.

Mugabe, speaking in Ethiopia, revealed that a South African company mining diamonds in the eastern district of Marange, in partnership with the Zimbabwe government, would give a “large sum” to treasury which would go towards civil servants’ salaries.

Government workers earn an average US$200 per month, and unions have asked to meet Mugabe for last ditch talks to avert nationwide job walkouts. Unions want the least paid government worker to receive at least US$502 – the current poverty datum line.

Mugabe said: “The Minister of Mines (Obert Mpofu) was telling me four days ago that there had been a third sale of diamonds, and they are going to give quite — I think its Mbada — a large sum to Treasury.
“It’s going to assist also in raising salary levels of the people and even my salary level.

“If I show you my pay slip, you won’t believe it. But of course we have farms, you see, we farm, we rear pigs, and we have chickens. So it helps the families [of workers].”

Mugabe said on average, his farm workers earned US$350.

Now the President says diamonds will be the driver of economic recovery – rejecting claims by his critics that he is presiding over the looting of diamonds for personal gain.

He added: “It has been said that Mugabe is lining his pocket with Chiadzwa diamonds.

“I have never seen a diamond from Chiadzwa, not a single diamond. I haven’t even been to Chiadzwa. I would want to visit when I find time, but we are monitoring Chiadzwa very strictly so that the diamonds benefit the people.”

Labels: CHIADZWA, CIVIL SERVANTS, DIAMONDS

posted by MrK @ 9:33 PM