via Government urged to clampdown on obscene salaries | SW Radio Africa by Tichaona Sibanda on Thursday, January 23, 2014
The ruling ZANU PF government should curb obscene salaries for heads of parastatals as a matter of urgency, the opposition MDC-T party said on Thursday.
Douglas Mwonzora, spokesman for the MDC-T, said the level of CEO remuneration in the public sector is sending out the wrong message to the average worker.
His comments follow a report in the Herald that showed the salary schedule of the top management at the Premier Service Medical Aid Society (PSMAS), which is gobbling up at least US$1 million in monthly salaries for senior management. PSMAS is the largest medical aid society in Zimbabwe catering for more than 600,000 people, most of whom are in the civil service and uniformed forces.
At the same time the PSMAS is tottering under a US$38 million debt. The state controlled daily said as of December 31st the society owed service providers US$38 million in unpaid bills for medical services rendered to its members.
Documents show that the PSMAS group chief executive Cuthbert Dube earned a basic monthly salary of US$230,000. Dube is also the current chairman of the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) and former board chairman of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC).
He is believed to have been the board member who authorized suspended ZBC chief executive Happison Muchechetere’s basic salary of $27,000, along with a monthly allowance of $3,000 and another $2,500 for his domestic staff.
Mwonzora said there is justified public outrage at the obscenely large executive compensation, adding that government should regulate compensations for all parastatal heads.
‘We can’t ignore what is happening in certain sectors which border on poor board decisions and greed,’ he said disclosing that their party will table a parliamentary debate on high salaries in the public sector.
Mwonzora said the MDC-T raised the issue of salaries during the inclusive government but ZANU PF was not interested to listen to their concerns because they wanted to protect their ‘friends and cronies.’
COMMENTS
Mdc.shut up. What did you do supporting muggersboy for 4 gullible years. Vote for me
For the past 4 years, MDC ministers headed parastatals, Gorden Moyo was one of them. Are you guys just starting to make a discovery now? You’re either incompetent, insincere or both. Let’s meet at Team ZUNDE – http://www.zunde.org. You guys have failed dismally!!!!
Why should MDC shut up. Is it fair for CEOs to earn that much yet the rest of the workers are not paid at all. You are a ZANU pf. Unfortunately your days in the office are numbered
Revenger is Zanu pf.Aaah so!!.
ZPF will not do anything to recover any stolen money.How can they cutting down the weakest link will simply see this whole house of thieves crumble because everyone is connected to each other like one long rusty chain. Everyone is related in one way or another to the other either by blood or tribe or they have basked in each other’s fires of evil and murder and like the Mafia nobody will turn their backs on the other or sleep with both eyes closed coz they know they will be brought down too. Zimbabwe needs new blood. This blood is old and tainted beyond redemption.
The PSMAS is ineffective, led by ignorant and corrupt gangster, who have, like Mr Mugabe, overstayed their welcome. The Chairwoman, M M Namasasu has been on the baord for 18 years. We all now the Zambezi River Authority Scadal where is also sits. Mr Newton Mhlanga has now served 17 years. He is also past his sale-by date. Mr Chabhururuka has Diploma in Co-operative studies as the highest qualification. He has been there since my mid twenties, now I am 41. I will not even talk aboutr Sunguru, Chigwamba, Sibanda, Zembe and Kamanda, who attend the board meetings to warm the boardroom chairs. Perhaps Advocate Mtombeni who is a legal practioner will teach them something known as rotation of the board, or is it called notation of the board. Why would such a board be expected to perform when they need to cover up for the past poor performance they did? Advocate, now that you have been on this board for 14 years…..be legal enough and suggest terms for your people
I suspect that this is one case study of institutionalised corruption. As someone has already mentioned that Zanu pf and the highly paid do- nothing CEOs are somehow related, this well organised scum result in the two parties sharing the loot. The guys are simple taking part payment while the rest is channeled to Zanupf account for its sustanance. Truly speaking, what qualification justifies the payment of such large amounts in our economy? Non-monetary benefits should suffice if we real want to see a prosperous Zimbabwe.
We would be better off if the messengers and teaboys ran these parastatals and parliament