Reject stands at your own peril

26 Feb, 2017 - 00:02 0 Views
Reject stands at your own peril Sunday Mail

The Sunday Mail

Howdy folks!

I see another revolution brewing subtly right before our eyes – a land revolution.

But as with the early days of any revolution, some people might fail to understand the cause, others may sell out whilst others simply oppose for the sake of opposing.

Let’s come to the land issue shortly after this.

About a fortnight ago, the Apex Council – an umbrella body comprising all civil servant representative unions – told the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare that they will reject the National Health Insurance Scheme.

The scheme was approved by Cabinet last year to extend health coverage to all Zimbabweans, given how less than 10 percent of the population has health insurance.

Government’s move is, of course, a step in the direction towards full realisation of the right to access to healthcare services that is enshrined in Section 76 of the Constitution.

Section 29 also requires the State to take measures to ensure the provision of basic, accessible and adequate health services throughout Zimbabwe.

But the so-called representatives of civil servants said the prevailing conditions are not ripe for the introduction of such a scheme since Government is struggling to meet its obligation in providing for the welfare of civil servants.

They also argued that employees are already overtaxed.

They simply recycled the same reasons they cited a decade ago when the health scheme plan was mooted.

So, if it’s not done today, should we wait for another decade, or century?

What the union representatives fail to realise here is that by fooling civil servants to refuse to sacrifice a few dollars from their monthly salaries, they are denying their mothers, fathers, nieces and aunties, who don’t have health insurance, access to healthcare.

Some of them find themselves still having to pay huge sums of money for their sick relatives who do not have medical insurance, sometimes parting with their entire salaries for months.

But that risk can be diluted to immaterial amounts if our little resources are pooled to support this health scheme.

But let’s leave it there folks and continue with the main discussion of the day.

Government is tomorrow having a watershed meeting with civil servants “representatives” to discuss 2016 bonuses.

Government had previously offered to pay the bonuses in the form of residential stands, a move that will trigger an enormous land revolution that will benefit a lot of people.

Sadly, the representatives of civil servants rejected the deal, opting for cash.

Tomorrow’s meeting is, therefore, going to try and map the way forward.

Folks, I smell a rat here.

Why would civil servants reject stands that are being given on a platter like this?

Most of them are tenants and their six months rent, on average, is actually more than enough to pay for the stands.

The market price for a 200-square metre piece of land right now is about US$10 000, and one is usually required to pay a deposit of at least 20 percent (US$2 000) and then clear the balance in monthly instalments over a period of three years.

Government offered its stands for as little as US$4 per square metre as part of non-monetary incentives, which means one could get a 200-square metre stand for as little as US$800.

The average civil servant earns about US$400, and it will take two salaries to buy a Government stand, but 25 salaries to buy the same stand on the market.

Then you hear some people saying they don’t want such an offer. Ah, mudzimu unoramba tea uchida masese chaiwo!

Now, folks, is this what every civil servant really wants – to be given a month’s worth of cash as bonus?

Or it is what their representatives want?

What else are they getting for mobilising people to refuse?

The Fast Track Land Reform programme benefited about 277 000 households.

And here we have another land revolution that is set to benefit over 500 000 households, which represents about 16 percent of the country’s households, by getting cheaper residential stands.

Folks, every Zimbabwean has the right to shelter.

Section 28 of the constitution says the State must take reasonable measures, within the limits of the resources available to them, to enable every person to have access to adequate shelter.

Zimbabwe has a housing backlog of 1, 3 million and it is imperative that deliberate measures such as these be taken to ensure we clear that backlog and allow everyone the opportunity to have a roof above their head, a roof that is theirs.

Developing half a million stands for civil servants will also grow our property sector as well as other sectors such as cement manufacturing, construction and others.

Civil servants must not allow their unions to misrepresent them on opportunities that can transform their welfare.

Otherwise one day our children will urinate on our graves for not leaving an inheritance for them after refusing land when it was offered on a silver platter.

Later folks!

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