Mugabe, entire cabinet holiday in Dubai

via Mugabe, entire cabinet holiday in Dubai – NewZimbabwe 21/01/2016

THE opposition MDC-T party has hit out at the government of making State workers miserable by failing to pay salaries on time while President Robert Mugabe and his cabinet enjoy expensive holidays in the Far East.

Mugabe last year threw a Christmas party for his ministers and top Zanu PF officials before flying out to the Far East for his annual holiday.

Government then failed to pay civil servants their annual bonuses and also delayed December salaries to January this year.

Meanwhile, vice presidents Emmerson Mnangagwa and Phelekezela Mphoko have also followed Mugabe to Dubai for their holidays with their respective families.

“It is mindboggling that the entire Zanu PF Cabinet travelled to the Middle East and the Far East to spend the festive season with their families whilst teachers and all other civil servants endured one of the most miserable and unexciting festive seasons because they were not paid their December salaries on time,” said MDC-T spokesman Obert Gutu.

“As if this was not enough undue and undeserved punishment, civil servants have still not been paid their annual bonuses for the year 2015.

“President Robert Mugabe and his extended family are still enjoying their annual holidays in the Middle East.

“Indeed, President Mugabe has made it a tradition to travel to far away and very expensive destinations, at the expense of the near bankrupt national treasury, for his annual leave and Christmas holidays.”

Gutu challenged the government to make the welfare of state workers a priority.

The administration has confirmed pay dates for this month but says nothing about the still unpaid 2015 annual bonus.

“As a labour backed social democratic political party, the MDC is very concerned by the selfish practice whereby the Zanu PF regime never prioritises the welfare of ordinary civil servants who actually earn very meagre salaries,” said Gutu.

“Robert Mugabe has appointed a bloated Cabinet of over seventy (70) Ministers and Deputy Ministers. All these government bureaucrats are allocated expensive sports utility vehicles as well as Mercedes Benz limousines.

“In the last year alone, the Zanu PF regime spent no less than US$60 million on vehicles for ministers and the top brass of the security services.

He added: “Unless and until the faction-ridden and bankrupt Zanu PF regime resigns en masse, the majority of Zimbabweans shall continue to wallow in poverty and destitution.

“The people of Zimbabwe have suffered enough and it is not fair to let this desperate socio-economic state of affairs continue unabated.”