MINISTRY of Finance has raised alarm after it emerged that
officials were looting funds meant for COVID-19 relief.
Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Finance George
Guvamatanga this week wrote to directors and other top ranking officials
advising them that only sanctioned travel should be allowed to draw domestic
allowances, while the rest should go to deserving people in the country’s
COVID-19 response which had been sustained, largely by donors.
“Treasury has noted with concern an increase in payment
runs requesting for funds for processing domestic allowances, narrated as
COVID-19 payments for staff on duty during the lockdown period,” reads
Guvamatanga’s circular dated April 28.
“As you are aware of pronouncement of lockdown throughout
Statutory instrument 81 and 82 clearly called for mitigatory measures to
prevent the spread of Coronavirus and involved limited or no movement across
cities and towns and hence reduces domestic travel expenses.”
Guvamatanga said instead of government departments focusing
on coronavirus interventions, they were now pushing more for allowances than
delivering to the needy.
“However, line ministries are now prioritising payment of
allowances despite the call by Treasury in its later dated March 20, requesting
accounting officers to identify none wage savings from their respective votes
to be ring fenced for coronavirus interventions,” he wrote.
Sources have disclosed to NewsDay that top government
workers were taking the biggest part of funds allocated to coronavirus response
in the form of travel and subsistence allowances while frontline health workers
work go without risk allowances or personal protective equipment.
“You have those in higher offices, the principal directors,
finance directors and their peers looting fuel, accommodation allowances as
they crisis cross the country on errands that don’t even make sense, while
those who are actually doing the work get nothing,” said a senior government
official.
The official added that poorly paid top civil servants were
beginning to feel the pinch owing to the closure of workshops, travel
opportunities especially foreign trips which gave them access to huge
allowances. They have now resorted to looking for opportunities in the
coronavirus response.
“You would notice that government does not pay huge
salaries even to your permanent secretaries and directors, however they have
always had allowances when attending workshops and travel, this has all been
put on Ice by coronavirus and for them to fill this gap they are now digging
into the coronavirus budget,” said the source.
Government is struggling to buy protective clothing for
doctors, even after a court order compelling it to do so. Due to lack of
resources, government has also le the purchase of critical items towards the
fight against the virus such as test kits to donors.
Zimbabwe so far has 40 cases, but observers think the
number is probably huger because of low testing levels. Zimbabwe has carried out just over 7 000 tests. Newsday
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