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WHEN revelations of obscene salaries and perks of top management at the struggling Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation were brought to the attention of the public last month, the development sent shock waves across a country reeling under the effects of Western sanctions.
The whole nation could not believe that the suspended ZBC chief executive, Happison Muchechetere, was drawing a salary and allowances totalling nearly $40,000 per month while workers at that time had gone for more than six months without pay.
However, the workers have since been paid their outstanding salaries after government intervention. While the nation is still abuzz with the Muchechetere salary saga, yesterday it was jolted with reports that the top management at Premier
Service Medical Aid Society is gobbling at least $1 million in basic salaries at a time when the State enterprise is reeling under a $38 million debt.
As at December 31, the society owed service providers $38 million in unpaid bills for medical services to its members. Documents in possession of our Harare Bureau show that the PSMAS group chief executive, Cuthbert Dube’s basic salary increased to $230,000 a month in July 2012 compared to $144,000 he was earning in June of the same year.
It is said PSMAS’ annual wage bill rose from $15,5 million in 2011 to $33,4 million in 2012, almost half of which was paid to the top 14 managers.
After Dube, the next two top earners, according to the documents, were the group finance manager, a E Gwinyai who, however, is no longer with the organisation who earned a basic salary of $200,000 a month and group operations executive Mr Enock Chitekedza whose salary was $122,000. Other people in management are drawing as much as $60,000 per month.
Such revelations are shocking to say the least and point to a rot at PSMAS. What is happening at the institution is gross betrayal of public trust. It is tantamount to looting and leaves subscribers with more questions than answers.
We wonder how the powers that be arrived at such obscene salaries when the organisation is facing a myriad of problems to the extent of failing to pay its service providers.
We do not believe that in an economy like ours anyone merits such a salary. This shows the level of selfishness and irresponsible management which sacrifices common welfare at the expense of personal gratification.
It looks like management at PSMAS is divorced from the reality and is living in another planet.
It boggles the mind how they would surely smile all the way to the bank with their conscience, if ever they have any, to withdraw such irrational salaries when the organisation is struggling to meet its obligations.
The salary revelations at ZBC and PSMAS must surely have tickled curiosity among many Zimbabweans about the goings on at most companies and parastatals.
Zimbabwe is in a socio-economic transformative stage and public enterprises like these are expected to be role models of best management practices and not vice versa.
We think in all fairness many Zimbabweans are keen to know how much top managers at other public companies are earning.
However, as regards to PSMAS we take solace in that the Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr David Parirenyatwa, said the government has instituted investigations and we urge him to get to the bottom of the matter to protect poor subscribers who are sacrificing a lot in their monthly contributions.
The subscribers, a majority of them civil servants, need to be protected against such excessiveness by the management at PSMAS. If that is not done they will lose confidence in the organisation and withdraw their contributions and no one would blame them, but that would have serious repercussions on the health care of civil servants.
Online Reporter