Unpaid civil servants in Zimbabwe are anxiously waiting for salaries, which the government is struggling to pay due to the current harsh economic situation that has resulted in the nation missing revenue targets this year.
Treasury announced on Christmas Eve “that the December 2015 salary payment date for the education sector has been moved from 28 December to 29 December.”
In a statement, Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa also announced the postponement of pay dates for the rest of the public service from 29 December to 5 January 2016.
The cash-strapped government has also promised to pay civil servants 2015 bonuses though no specific dates have been set for the payments.
Some state workers are posting messages on social media saying the government is reportedly mobilizing resources, including the Chinese Yuan, to pay their salaries.
This could not be independently verified as state officials are currently on leave.
In an interview last week, Raymond Majongwe, general secretary of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe, said government informed them that teachers will get their December salaries, without bonuses, on Monday.
Uniformed forces got their salaries before Christmas but without the traditional bonuses, awarded annually to boost the morale of workers.
Majongwe said they were not even sure whether they will get their salaries as promised.
The bulk of Zimbabwe’s national budget is gobbled by salaries of the bloated civil service.