FORMER Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai yesterday piled pressure on President Robert Mugabe to pay him a government pension and terminal benefits, saying he was equally entitled to the same benefits as those recently gazetted in favour of former Vice-President Joice Mujuru.
BY MOSES MATENGA Tsvangirai’s spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka told NewsDay that his principal would continue to demand the benefits, accusing Mugabe of double standards.
“He is not meeting his part of the bargain in terms of meeting the packages of the man he shared power with in the inclusive government,” Tamborinyoka said.
“Those are his (Tsvangirai’s) dues, but as I have always said, he is not shouting noise to the high heavens because for him, going into the inclusive government was to serve the people. The man should get his bargain because he shared power with Mugabe equally during the inclusive government. The malice is now out there, the selective application is now out there in the public domain. ‘ “If the condition is that he must first say the 2013 election was legitimate for them to give him his dues, then tough luck.”
Tsvangirai shared power with Mugabe during the tenure of the inclusive government, but lost to the Zanu PF leader in the July 2013 harmonised elections.
The only benefit Tsvangirai seems to be enjoying from the inclusive government is the Highlands house he is staying in and at least two vehicles he used during his tenure, one of them a now battered Mercedes-Benz.
Mugabe last week gazetted terminal benefits and allowances for former Vice-Presidents.
These include a State-funded domestic worker, gardener, two drivers, a private secretary, a close security unit officer, two aide-de-camp officers, use of a Mercedes-Benz motor vehicle, a colour television set, an official office and telephone in addition to medical aid and air travel allowances.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Mujuru, who was stripped of her government post early this year on allegations of plotting Mugabe’s ouster, is the only surviving former Vice-President.
Her benefits have, however, raised a stink among her sympathisers who view the move as a Zanu PF government ploy to keep her under surveillance and ensure she cuts her alleged ties with the People First project.
