Finance and Economic Development Mthuli Ncube has been derided for claiming that civil servants were the highest-paid workers in the country.
In an editorial this Saturday, the NewsDay described Ncube as a delusional man who can’t separate fiction from reality.
Ncube made the remarks in Parliament on Thursday after awarding government workers a 41% pay hike.
He said the least paid civil servant now earns $14 000 while workers in the agricultural sector are paid $5 000.
Ncube has been accused of insincerity for comparing professionals such as teachers, nurses, police officers and other civil servants with non-skilled farmworkers.
Teachers have been demanding at least US$520, but Ncube’s offer, which is $19 000, is below the poverty datum line of almost $21 000, according to the ZimStat’s latest figures.
While Ncube awarded civil servants a paltry 41 per cent salary increment, he approved price hikes on basic services by government agencies such as ZESA, ZINARA and CVR by over 120 per cent.
“Ncube is living a lie and the earlier he comes back to his senses, the better for the country”, the editorial further claims.
The earlier this stupid man LEAVES govt, the better this country will become.