Harare, Zimbabwe – Civil servants yesterday, Monday, July 14, staged a flash protest at the New Government Complex, culminating in a march to the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion. Their urgent demand was for significant salary increases to be included in the upcoming mid-term budget.
Members of the Zimbabwe Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions (ZCPSTU) voiced profound concern over the fact that they have gone six months without a salary review, particularly in the face of soaring inflation. Teachers’ unions and school heads joined the demonstration, highlighting the severe erosion of their wages by inflation, which surged to 92.5% in June.
The protesting public sector workers specifically called on Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube to address their salaries in his forthcoming fiscal policy update. Although Minister Ncube was reportedly away, the demonstrators were met by Deputy Minister Kudakwashe Mnangagwa.
Speaking to ZiMetro News following the march, ZCPSTU Secretary-General David Dzatsunga indicated that the delegation conveyed the escalating frustration among civil servants and pressed for immediate intervention to restore their purchasing power.
“We wanted to deliver our plea to the government that the mid-term budget should include the cost-of-living adjustment,” Dzatsunga stated. “We believe that we received the audience that we wanted and we presented our case. We hope that it will yield the results that we want — that the government will consider. We cannot say we have succeeded, but we are hopeful since we have received audience.”
Dzatsunga also referenced past disappointments: “We don’t want a situation like that of last year, where there was no provision for a salary increment. We have been promised that the relevant government organs, the Ministry of Labour, Public Service Commission and the Treasury, are seized with the matter and we will see how they are going to deal with it. But we explained the urgency of the matter, because since September last year, we have not had a salary review.”
In addition to their vocal demands, civil servants also handed over a written statement to the government, detailing their grievances and outlining their expectations ahead of the impending mid-term fiscal review.
Typically, government and civil servant representatives engage through the National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC), a forum that convenes quarterly. However, the council is yet to meet in 2025, a delay that has further intensified frustration among public sector workers.
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