Matinenga has come under fire from trade unionists and opposition leader Job Sikhala who accuse her of forgetting her roots as a unionist now that she is a cabinet minister. But now she says that she still has issues of workers at heart.
"I spent decades as a trade unionist and I fully understand the plight of civil servants. It is the height of dishonesty to portray the Public Service Minister as the face of the problem when the real key issues about civil servants' salaries include the opaque nature of diamond revenue and the implementation of the public service audit which found, among other irregularities, 75 000 irregularly employed workers," said Matibenga.
Civil servants yesterday refused a $50 salary hike demanding more from a government which claims that it has no money.
This is despite the fact that government has been able to increase salaries for cabinet ministers and has splashed money on legislators.
The country has large deposits of diamonds resources which people like MDC 99 leader Sikhala say being looted by Zanu PF as it prepares a war chest ahead of elections that could be held. Last week Sikhala said that Matibenga must resign.
"If she cannot openly solve the crisis or the challenges that she is given as a minister she must publicly admit and resign as a minister so as not to waste people's time by even refusing to address the press when the people are entitled to know what the minister is doing to solve the crisis," Sikhala.
Post published in: News