A ghost worker is a non-productive, bogus person who is perceived as a worker, who withdraws salaries and other benefits from the fiscus and plunders national resources.
The first common ghost workers are in the defence forces. A soldier, for example, is trained as a teacher and on completion, that soldier is posted to the Ministry of Education. However, he remains on the secret army pay roll and also takes a salary from the education ministry. This is rampant in other ministries like agriculture, national security, lands and local government where most of the soldiers are posted on completion.
The second common scenario is where a civil servant is attached to a government parastatal. The person will not have resigned from government and continues withdrawing benefits from the fiscus.
The third form is where a civil servant is continuously on study leave in one ministry and is transferred to another ministry after four years. Instead of resuming work, that person is again put on study leave and continues with the study leave circle. This kind of person will be withdrawing benefits but is never studying or working anywhere in the government.
A forth form of ghosting is where a civil servant retires but is re-engaged as a temporary worker for a month and vanishes into thin air, only for the name to remain on the payroll.
The fifth form that a ghost might take is one that is always on sick leave. They never report for work, they are not traceable but they withdraw benefits from the treasury.
The other ghosts haunt the pension section. Some of the pensioners are long dead, but payouts are still made every month. Some of the pensioners are too young for the title. Some are as young as 19, but they are paid full pensions for life.
Who are these people benefiting vastly at the expense of our loyal servants? Who hides these people? A lot of money was wasted last year when a manpower audit was done by the government, but still the results were disputed. Something must be done. – FORMER CIVIL SERVANT, Mutare
Post published in: Letters to the Editor