Mugabe pays off Mujuru

via Mugabe pays off Mujuru – NewsDay Zimbabwe August 15, 2015

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe yesterday gazetted a statutory instrument paving the way for axed Vice-President Joice Mujuru to receive her terminal benefits, eight months after she was forced out.

BY MOSES MATENGA

The Presidential Pension and Retirement Benefits published in Statutory Instrument 86 of 2015, gazetted on August 7, says Mujuru will enjoy several benefits including personal security, medical aid, travel allowances and domestic workers paid for by the State.

Mujuru will, among other things, be provided with a domestic worker, a gardener, two drivers, a private secretary, a close security unit officer, two aide-de-camp officers and use of a Mercedes Benz motor vehicle and a colour television set. The former VP will also be entitled to medical cover and air travel once a year.

“The President, in terms of Section 3 (1) of the Presidential Pension and Retirement Benefits Act, hereby makes the following notice: This notice may be cited as the Presidential Pension and Retirement Benefits (services and facilities for former VPs) notice 2015,” read the notice in part.

“A former Vice-President of Zimbabwe, who has at any time since December 31 1987 been Vice-President for at least one full term of office, shall be entitled to use and enjoyment of the following services, facilities and allowances…”

Mujuru, was unceremoniously kicked out of her office in an unprecedented onslaught led by Mugabe’s wife, Grace, who accused her of gossiping, plotting to unseat her husband and witchcraft, among a host of accusations.

Ironically, on Thursday, Grace said Mujuru did not deserve to be paid by the government as she was fired for failing her job.
In April, the government reportedly withdrew at least 18 aides from Mujuru, before she offered to retain and pay 12 of them from her pocket.

Efforts to contact Mujuru to establish whether she was enjoying any benefits from the State were fruitless as her mobile phone went unanswered yesterday.

Under the new Constitution, Mujuru is entitled to a pension and other benefits as long as she lives.

Section 102 of the Constitution on Remuneration of President and Vice-Presidents says: “A person who has ceased to be President or Vice-President is entitled to receive — (a) a pension equivalent to the salary of a sitting President or Vice-President, as the case may be; and (b) such allowances and other benefits as may be prescribed under an Act of Parliament.”

Section 103 of the Constitution says the benefits can only be withdrawn if she directly or indirectly holds any other public office or be employed by anyone else while she is receiving a pension from the State as former Vice-President.

After her exit from the party and government, Mujuru issued several statements insinuating that she was now spending most of her time with her grandchildren at a family farm in Beatrice.

She has, however, remained mum on her future political plans although she has been linked to the People First project, a political outfit claiming to be the original Zanu PF and threatening to challenge the ruling party in the 2018 elections.

Analyst Alexander Rusero said it would have not made sense to deny Mujuru her benefits forever.

“In politics, there is a certain stage where reality has to be felt and one way or the other when even Mugabe leaves the political fray, he will also one day need the benefits and he can’t enjoy them without those he worked with being entitled to that,” Rusero said.

“He is also entitled to the benefits and it is good political gamesmanship. You cannot rewrite history and deny that at one stage Mujuru was VP of the country for 10 years.”

Mujuru became the first Vice-President to leave office alive since 1980.