The CIO is superintended over by a State Security minister,
but the position has been vacant since January last year when President
Emmerson Mnangagwa fired Owen Ncube.
There are about 10 000 members of CIO, up from an estimated
7 000 during the time of the late Robert Mugabe.
Many of those leaving are going into private organisations,
with a sizeable number migrating to the United Kingdom to take up miniscule
jobs, it has been established.
According to informed sources, more than 60 officers have
left the employ of the spy organisation since the beginning of the year.
“Many people are frustrated. They feel let down, so they
are leaving,” one source said.
“There came a time when even junior officers were openly
complaining about the conditions of service in front of their bosses.
“Such things never used to happen before.”
A few years ago, our sister paper NewsDay reported that
there was disquiet in the spy organisation as junior spooks complained of a
huge salary gap between them and their bosses.
Senior officers are reportedly victimising low-ranking
intelligence operatives, accusing them of causing disharmony in the spy agency.
“So, now the bosses are asking which junior officers are
not happy.
“They allege there are some operatives in the secret
service who are moving around agitating others to be vocal about their
salaries,” a source, who left the organisation last year, said.
“It doesn’t need a rocket scientist to tell you that the
economy is crashing and the salaries we are getting are rendered useless
because of inflation.”
Early this month, independent legislator Temba Mliswa
exposed how the situation has become dire when he posted on Twitter that a
senior operative confided in him about their poor working conditions.
“DIO [division intelligence officer] Nheta also urged me to
speak out about the poor working conditions for the CIO since ED’s emergence as
president and said he is still wearing suits he bought when Mugabe was
president,” Mliswa posted.
“He was allegedly also removed from being part of ED’s
protection unit due to tribalism.
“According to him, working conditions have gone bad.
“During Mugabe’s time he said they could return from
foreign trips with enough money to buy stands or houses. Not now, only a clique
is benefiting.”
Mliswa also said many in the system were upset with
Mnangawa and “are only seeking to make money without offering him progressive
advice” Standard
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