WASHINGTON —
Transport Minister Obert Mpofu has given chief executive officers of parastatals under his ministry a 48-hour deadline to disclose their salaries, including private banking information as the probe into astronomic salaries in the country, now known as salary-gate, widens.
The directive comes amid revelations that most CEOs at public companies were paying themselves huge allowances and salaries gobbling millions of dollars at the expense of service delivery and lowly-paid workers.
The wage scandal broke into limelight after suspended ZBC CEO, Happison Muchechetere was found to have been earning more than $40,000 a month plus allowances while ordinary workers were wallowing in abject poverty after going for several months without pay.
The scandal spiraled out of proportion when it was reported that Public Service Medical Service Aid boss, Cuthbert Dube, was revealed to be earning more than $240,000 per month plus allowances incensing civil servants who had been failing to access healthcare as PSMAS members due to unpaid hospital and service provider debts.
Since then government ministers, accused by ordinary people of being inept and failing to police parastatal bosses, have been putting pressure on CEOs in government firms and departments to reveal their salaries and benefits.
Mpofu is also demanding that the CEOs under his ministry provide him with any other secret payrolls that they may have.
“The concept of parallel payrolls if it has occurred in any of your parastatals must be fully disclosed to my office within the next 48 hours with all the bank details, the length of period this has happened and the list of beneficiaries,” Mpofu said Tuesday during a meeting attended by all parastatal heads.
He told VOA that he expects CEOs to comply within the stipulated time, adding failure to do so would mean they have something to hide and would incur the wrath of the ministry.
“I have to make it abundantly clear that this ministry and particularly my office will not condone corrupt practices, abuse of office or mismanagement of government resources,” he said.
The directive comes amid revelations that most CEOs at public companies were paying themselves huge allowances and salaries gobbling millions of dollars at the expense of service delivery and lowly-paid workers.
The wage scandal broke into limelight after suspended ZBC CEO, Happison Muchechetere was found to have been earning more than $40,000 a month plus allowances while ordinary workers were wallowing in abject poverty after going for several months without pay.
The scandal spiraled out of proportion when it was reported that Public Service Medical Service Aid boss, Cuthbert Dube, was revealed to be earning more than $240,000 per month plus allowances incensing civil servants who had been failing to access healthcare as PSMAS members due to unpaid hospital and service provider debts.
Since then government ministers, accused by ordinary people of being inept and failing to police parastatal bosses, have been putting pressure on CEOs in government firms and departments to reveal their salaries and benefits.
Mpofu is also demanding that the CEOs under his ministry provide him with any other secret payrolls that they may have.
“The concept of parallel payrolls if it has occurred in any of your parastatals must be fully disclosed to my office within the next 48 hours with all the bank details, the length of period this has happened and the list of beneficiaries,” Mpofu said Tuesday during a meeting attended by all parastatal heads.
He told VOA that he expects CEOs to comply within the stipulated time, adding failure to do so would mean they have something to hide and would incur the wrath of the ministry.
“I have to make it abundantly clear that this ministry and particularly my office will not condone corrupt practices, abuse of office or mismanagement of government resources,” he said.