Members of Parliament yesterday proposed their salaries be pegged at between $4 000 and $10 000 per month, claiming they are now the lowest paid legislators in Africa.
Source: MPs push for massive salary hike – NewsDay Zimbabwe March 23, 2017
by VENERANDA LANGA
The MPs currently earn a gross salary of $1 124 per month and $1 046 representation allowance.
The issue was raised during a workshop for MPs in Harare which was attended by Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda, President of the Senate Edna Madzongwe and Clerk of Parliament Kennedy Chokuda.
The code of conduct for MPs was also discussed at the workshop.
Chairperson of the Sub-committee on Legal and Procedural Services Nelson Chamisa (MDC-T) said MPs had two weeks to look at the draft laws to do with their conditions of service; the Parliamentary Salaries, Allowances and Benefit Act, and the Parliament Pensions Act to see where they could be amended to address their remuneration. He compared MPs’ salaries with other Parliaments.
In South Africa MPs earn approximately $7 000 per month, Kenya $10 000, Tanzania $7 266, Uganda $8 715 and Botswana at $2 000.
If amended, the Parliament Salaries, Allowances and Benefit Act will also ensure ministers do not double dip.
“We have replaced the issue of an independent commission deciding salaries for MPs and put the powers in a quasi-independent body, the Standing Rules and Orders Committee, as opposed to the Finance minister determining the lump sum of MPs and putting it in line with the rest of the civil service,” Chamisa said.
Other entitlements for MPs would be general allowances, housing allowances, committee attendance fees, constituency allowances and others.
Mudenda said MPs would get laptops and stands.
On the code of conduct, MPs will find themselves under scrutiny in terms of their behaviour, drinking habits, corruption, taking bribes, and even extra-marital affairs will be exposed. They will be required to fill in an asset register to be administered by the Clerk of Parliament where they will declare properties, business interests, family, freebies that they are given during visits to companies, fees paid to MPs for consultancy, trips and who has funded them, and even assets such as scotch carts and jewellery.
COMMENTS
it appears that our MPs are out of touch, the govt cant afford to pay the doctors, nurses , teachers properly and they want more money?
Apart from anything else, have they visited a bank recently to see how easy it is to withdraw this windfall?
Why can’t they buy their own laptops, houses, cars just like everyone else.In Rhodesia Mps bought their own stuff, What is it with Zimbabweans and Cars and laptops?
Alice in Wonderland.
Personally I do not understood why MPs and Councillors have to be paid a salary. I believe they must have proper jobs then be MPs/Councillors as part of their elder citizen role just like elder brothers/sisters take care of their younger siblings. As they represent normal people, they must live normal people’s lives and ONLY be reimbursed the direct costs for dispensing their duties – fuel (better busfare), accommodation in Harare, etc. Why pay someone for representing their people, they should just quit if they do not want. Contrast our greed with the missionaries who built the hospitals and schools in the past, even with the MPs during colonialism. We should be ashamed, being paid to serve??? Imagine someone saying their job is being an elder brother and they must be remunerated for it by their unemployed siblings. Yet this is precisely what we do. Well, just the confusion of a village boy but is it mere coincidence that Botswana that pays its MPs the least seems to be performing the best?
It’s bambazonke, my friend – the Zimbabwean dream.
The African is a lower level human like creature. Unable to create wealth but voracious consumer with insatiable predatory instincts to devour resources they do not have.
During the previous years for a person to be elected an MP or a councilor one has to own certain properties .Councillors were elected for the purpose of protecting their interests or investment which is now the opposite during these days whereby everyone wants to be a councilor for the purpose of enriching their pockets.