Three months without salary opens cracks among Zimbabwe doctors

Some Zimbabwe doctors are thinking of returning to work claiming that they are being misled by their leadership which they say is living lavishly while they have gone for three months without a salary.

The doctors went on strike on 3 September demanding a salary review.

According Jamwanda, believed to be President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s spokesman, George Charamba, the doctors initially demanded US$5 000. They then switched to local currency wanting $18 000 and then came down to $10 000.

Government, however, made a counter-offer of a 30 percent increment. When this was rejected they upped it to 60 percent and then 100 percent, but the doctors rejected the offer.

Econet boss Strive Masiyiwa’s charity Higher Life Foundation offered to pay them the equivalent of $5 000 a month for six months in addition to their government salaries but the doctors turned down the offer.

Now some doctors say their leadership is being unreasonable and claim that it has been captured by foreign interests.

“Magombeyi is living a lavish lifestyle in South Africa while we have not been paid here for three months. We cannot continue to work for other people,” one of the doctors was quoted by the Herald as saying.

Peter Magombeyi was the leader of the doctors association before he was allegedly abducted and later surfaced outside Harare.

He was allowed to go so South Africa for treatment.

A social media commentator, who is sympathetic to the government, said a non-governmental organisation called Frontline Defenders was paying doctors $1 200 to $5 000 to keep the strike going.

Jamwanda said some doctors had so far pocketed US$5 000 each for staying away from work.

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