The local lawmakers are among the least paid in the
Southern African Development Community (Sadc) region taking home an equivalent
of US$200 on the black market.
Their counterparts in the region are handsomely paid with
South Africa’s Membes of Parliament (MPs) earning US$5 808 and Botswana’s
lawmakers earning about US$4 000.
Lesotho is paying its MPs more than US$2 300 while Namibia
pays more than US$3 500.
An MP in Uganda earns more than US$8 900, making their
legislators the highest paid in Africa.
“How does and can the legislators hold to account people
whose standards of life are much better and are in a position to corrupt them
to be silent on certain issues? The current situation makes the legislators
weak and sitting ducks that can be easily bought by criminals,” the outspoken
Mliswa said.
“It is an unhealthy situation which creates room for
criminals to assume power using their illegally-obtained wealth to protect
their criminal enterprises from State offices. Those who are genuine in seeking
to develop the country are unable to compete because they don’t have the
money.”
Economists said the paltry salaries earned by MPs mirrored
the plight of the country’s workforce in the public and private sectors.
Economist Pardon Taodzera said: “Workers in both public and
private sectors are earning peanuts. The value of the Zimbabwean dollar has
been eroded by inflation. Legislators should not just push an upward review in
salaries, but they should advocate for economic fundamentals.
“Zimbabwe is being run like a casino economy and as long as
root causes are not addressed, workers will continue to languish in poverty.”
In his Workers Day speech, President Emmerson Mnangagwa
promised to improve salaries and working conditions of civil servants. Newsday
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