Teachers and civil servants felt insulted by Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube for saying that they will get bonuses because of the government’s austerity measures.
Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PUTZ) secretary-general Raymond Majongwe said civil servants have failed to get bonuses only once in 38 years, and Minister Ncube’s statement is preposterous. Said Majongwe:
For the past 38 years, civil servants have been getting a bonus save for just one year.
To want to make the nation believe that we are getting a bonus because of austerity is not only misleading but dangerous. He wants us to glorify a tool that is behind our suffering as if we have ever failed to get a bonus.
Ncube posted a message on his social media account where he announced that civil servants will be able to get a bonus “thanks to austerity”. He, however, did not elaborate on when the bonus will be paid.