Zimbabwe News Online: Vice President John Nkomo pockets two salaries

Vice President John Nkomo pockets two salaries
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The Zimbabwean on 19 July, 2010 03:39:00
 
Sources at the Finance Ministry, which handles government salaries, confirmed
that Nkomo was being paid as chairman of the organ and also as Vice President.
Figures were not immediately available. However, while official salaries of the
Presidents are pegged at US$300 per month, they receive millions of dollars in
allowances and other benefits every year, including free housing in state
mansions with armies of servants as well as transport, food, security, and
education for children.
Apparently, the MDC has not questioned why Nkomo is clinging to the national
healing post, which he assumed as an appointee of Zanu (PF) when the coalition
government was formed last year. The position is equivalent to that of a
government minister.
Zanu (PF) has routinely rewarded its faithfuls by allowing them to continue
drawing salaries for posts they have left. Vice president Joice Mujuru was paid
for several years for the Water Ministry portfolio which she left when she was
elevated following the death of Joshua Nkomo. Several other officials,
especially those in the military and security services were also known to be
getting paid for doing nothing, living in government houses and clinging to
state assets such as vehicles, computers and cellphones.
Nkomo is, however, still performing his duties as national healing organ chair.
Last week, he finally brought together feuding leaders of the Anglican church,
months after the organ was asked to intervene. According to sources on the
organ, Nkomo was now too busy with Presidential assignments to function
effectively as organ chairman.
Many believe it is no longer appropriate for Nkomo to continue as chairman of
the organ as he sometimes acts as President, with final say, for example on the
fate of people who have committed serious crimes like murder during political
campaigns.
The organ has proved ineffective in resolving the tensions generated by the
murder of hundreds of MDC supporters by President Robert Mugabe's forces during
elections in 2008.
The organ was created to facilitate dialogue between the perpetrators and the
victims and to ensure justice prevails but has so far failed in that task.
Instead, the organ has been accused of wasting public funds on consultations
with traditional healers expected to "cleanse" the killers, many of whom have
developed psychological problems following the murders.
The MDC is now frantically trying to set up a truth commission through
parliament. During the last session, the party's chief whip Innocent Gonese
presented a report in parliament confirming that 253 party supporters were
murdered by Mugabe's militias and members of the security forces during the last
elections, while 10 000 were seriously injured and thousands more made homeless.
Gonese called for an investigation into the atrocities. Efforts to get comment
from Nkomo's officials were unsuccessful.