PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe’s office is investigating pay structures at parastatals following revelations that top management in some of the institutions were paying themselves obsence salaries, Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa said yesterday.
VENERANDA LANGA SENIOR REPORTER Chinamasa was responding to questions by legislators in the House of Assembly who wanted to know measures government would take to deal with corruption at State-owned companies.
“An exercise has started through the Office of the President and Cabinet to investigate the remuneration given to all parastatals (bosses),” he said.
“When that exercise is complete we will discuss what to do with those who have been paying themselves above reasonable levels of remuneration.”
Zanu PF MP Temba Mliswa also demanded to know from Health minister David Parirenyatwa if the Premier Medical Aid Society (PSMAS) board had been fired following revelations that the society’s chief executive Cuthbert Dube had been earning over $230 000 a month.
Dube was forced to retire after the scandal exploded this month.
Parirenyatwa had told the House his ministry was in the process of investigating the issue.
“You met the board minister, and their role is an oversight one. The CEO was fired or retired, but you left the board which authorised those salaries,” Mliswa said.
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“You cannot say you have killed the sheriff when you did not kill the deputy. What confidence do we have that the same board will not give themselves $500 000 salaries?”
Parirenyatwa admitted that there was chaos at PSMAS and hinted the board would be changed.
“It is true that the board fired the CEO, but that is their inhouse step,” he said.
“As government we will come up with what direction to take and we will be taking a direction that will satisfy Zimbabweans who contributed to the medical aid.
“We have not yet acted, but are investigating and will give a comprehensive report.”
Zanu PF MP Irene Zindi asked Parirenyatwa if he had appended his signature to the PSMAS salary schedule.
The minister responded by saying it was only in September that government began to look at salaries of parastatal bosses.
“In September we looked at issues of medical aid societies, including areas where there is conflict of interest within their own industry and government is looking at salaries to come up with a position which will be revealed to the public,” he said.
