Unconditional Woes For Zimbabweans In 2022

By Staff Reporter

The government of Zimbabwe is once again faced with another challenge with schools expected to open tomorrow after a one month long Covid lockdown extension.

Teachers Unions in the country have since expressed their views and feelings over the paltry salary they are getting from their employer as not adequate to meet with their daily need as well as payment of their children’s school fees.

Not only teachers have asked for a review of salaries but across all sectors, and possibly to get it in US dollars.

This demand has hit a brickwall, with recent measures showing there is no turning back on the Zimbabwe dollar.

The Finance and Economic Development minister, Mthuli Ncube has this week caught citizens by surprise as he put more measures that will see citizens paying 50 percent duty using Zim dollar as well as other taxes.

Prof Ncube said, “All mining royalties are now payable in Zimbabwe up to a limit of 50% of royalties due, importation of designated motor vehicles and exporters on their export receipts now payable in both local and foreign currency.

These measure reflect Government’s commitment to promote the wider use of Zimbabwe dollar and to continuously strengthen the economy so as to build long last macro-economic stability,” Ncube said.

Economic analysts told this publication that the economy has since self-dollarized making the ZWL not useful in the market with recent signs showing a huge shortage of Ecocash and RTGS transfers, including bond notes as the maximum withdrawal limit still at ZWL $ 2 000.

Zimstats has since released this year’s Poverty datum line report showing a standard family of 6 now require a monthly expenditure of ZWL $80 000 for basic food commodities alone.

The Consumer Council of Zimbabwe did not respond to questions sent to them by time of going to publish.

Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) leader, Obert Masaraure told this publication that teachers among all civil servants have expressed incapacitation as their salaries still stand at ZWL $20 000 or USD $80 and their members will not be able to go to work.

Same story from Progressive teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) and the Zimbabwe Teachers Association (ZIMTA) members can’t report for work tomorrow.The woes in Zimbabwe’s economy has widened the gap between the rich and the poor with majority failing to take their children to school, put food on the table and continued job losses as experienced by some of the steward bank employees just a week ago.