Zimbabwe Metro
By Raymond Mhaka
November 23rd, 2009
Attempts by Public Service Minister Eliphas Mukonoweshuro to carry out an audit of the country’s civil service are already being frustrated by elements within ZANU PF. Last week Wednesday the Minister held a press conference to announce a physical count of all state employees in order to weed out ghost workers and those earning multiple salaries.
A pilot audit was also started that same week from Monday to Thursday but sources told Newsreel the Public Service Commission (PSC) led by Mariyawanda Nzuwah and most of the Permanent Secretaries in the various Ministries are refusing to cooperate and supply information. The state owned Herald newspaper as usual was used to give the excuse that the PSC had foiled an attempt by the Minister to release the personal information of state employees to the World Bank.
But Mukonoweshuro rubbished the allegations, saying the World Bank were only bankrolling the audit but did not require any names. With the Minister wanting a Payroll and Skills Audit there has been speculation ZANU PF is trying to shield the many thousands of loyal supporters and militia it stuffed into the civil service and who do not have the requisite qualifications.
In February Education Minister David Coltart gave some indication of the enormity of the problem. He told journalists they had paid out salaries to around 94 000 teachers but the teachers unions said their members were slightly over 60 000. This raised the possibility of over 30 000 ghost teachers on the payroll.
A private consultancy firm CGI Consultancy Auditors have been hired to carry out the audit from the 23rd of November to the 18th of December. Mukonoweshuro probably anticipated the resistance from some within ZANU PF and this is why it’s thought he is insisting, ‘we are not going to do a paper or file audit. We want to see the civil servants physically.’