Military might: Despite a freeze on hiring
Despite an official freeze on the hiring of public servants, Zimbabwe's police, army and intelligence services have commenced a secret recruitment exercise that is raising eyebrows as the country prepares for elections.
Early on in the life of the unity government, the three-party Cabinet agreed to freeze recruitments in the public service because of a lack of finances. That decree was only lifted to allow the hiring of staff in the health sector.
But in a development that is drawing opposition from President Robert Mugabe's coalition partners, Zanu-PF officials who control the country's security sector have seemingly gone on a recruitment exercise, breaching the freeze.
Speaking to the Mail & Guardian, Giles Mutsekwa, the secretary for defence and security in Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), said his party is aware of the recruitments.
"We even discussed this at Cabinet because there is a freeze on recruitment. There is recruitment by the Central Intelligence Organisation and other security departments." Mutsekwa is also the country's minister of housing and social amenities. He declined to divulge more on the Cabinet deliberations, saying he was gagged by the Official Secrets Act.
MDC officials are "lost"
But presidential spokesperson George Charamba said MDC officials are "lost" on the recruitments as they were failing to realise that recruitments in the security sector are not dictated by any other considerations except security.
"The conditions that govern Charamba, who is a civil servant, are not the ones that govern the security services. They [security] don't recruit or downsize on circulars from the public service. What does MDC know about security? They can't even secure themselves, that's why we are looking after their bodies," said Charamba, who is also the party's information secretary.
Protection for MDC officials in the government is provided by state security agents who fall mainly under ministries run by Zanu-PF.
However, as further testimony of the breach of the agreement, the issue will dominate Parliament's question-and-answer session next week as lawmakers seek answers from their unity government colleagues. Various MPs have given notice that they will quiz the responsible ministers on the alleged recruitments.
In one such notice before Parliament, MDC's Kwekwe MP Blessing Chebundo will ask the co-ministers of home affairs, Zanu-PF's Kembo Mohadi and MDC's Theresa Makone, to explain and justify why the Zimbabwe Republic Police is integrating its "general-hand" employees as regular police officers and issuing them with police identity cards with different ranks and listing them on the Salaries Service Bureau.
In the questions, seen by the M&G, Chebundo names 10 individuals as examples of those who have been enrolled in such a manner that he said was the tip of the iceberg.
"Ellen Gosvore ID [identity document] 58-200625Y18 born on 01/04/82 and employed as a general hand by Kwekwe police on 16/10/06 and still performs general hand duties, but now enlisted as an attested regular woman on EC [employment code] number 5906324R; Muvengiwa Mpofu ID 58-090380R26 born 02/10/64 and employed as general hand on 01/09/88 at Kwekwe District police HQ, EC number 157393T now constable," reads part of the pending parliamentary question.
Questions deferred
The questions, which should have been attended to last week, were deferred as Parliament was busy with the debate and passing of the Constitutional Bill that will usher in the new Constitution.
Another question that will be asked has been tabled by Shepherd Mushonga, the chair of the Parliamentary Legal Committee, who wants clarification from State Security Minister Sydney Sekeramayi on his ministry's policy on intelligence officers who are openly partisan and hold provincial and central committee positions in Zanu-PF.
Another pending question tabled by MDC MP Stewart Garadhi requests Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa to explain and justify why the Zimbabwe National Army keeps on recruiting and training soldiers when the fiscus is underperforming.
Sekeramayi declined to comment and police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba said the police force is not aware of a freeze on recruitment.
"We have always told you that the police would continue to recruit. We are not aware of any policy to stop us," said Charamba.
Security sector
Charamba refused to comment on the allegations that Chebundo will raise in Parliament, saying the commissioner general should be the respondent in that matter.
The M&G could not establish by the time of going to print the number of new recruits.
Prominent labour unionist Raymond Majongwe of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe said that though recruitments and promotions have been frozen in the civil service, the security sector is busy recruiting and promoting its members.
"They [police and soldiers] are recruiting. Their members are being promoted and we have looked into it, but there is no one to ask.
"If soldiers go on study leave, they are paid study allowances, but when our members go on study leave their salaries are cut to discourage them and save money. It's is an unfair labour practice," said Majongwe.
Finance Minister Tendai Biti could not be reached for comment about where the salaries for the new recruits and promotions are being channelled from.
In the 2008 election, the police and army were accused of using violence to intimidate members of the opposition.
Zimbabwe has not announced a date for elections. Mugabe insists voting should be held by June 29, when Parliament dissolves.