ANALYSIS – On global standards, Zimbabwe’s economy could be struggling and considered an insignificant fraction when matched with large economies like those of Europe and America but some of the salaries and perquisites for CEOs and public institution leaders from this small nation have lately raised eye brows world wide.
Of late the hot talk that the Public Services Medical Aid (PSMAS) head earns a whopping $230 000 a month, a salary almost close to the annual take home of the U.S President leaves many wondering the seriousness of the Zimbabwean cause. At a time when Zimbabwe is struggling to stay afloat, some leaders are taking inappropriate chunks home as salaries as the entire economy is bleeding. It is a source of anxiety to note that President Obama’s take home salary is by far outweighed by that of Cuthbert Dube, the CEO of the most ordinary medical aid society in the world, it has emerged. Many would wish such hefty salary awards matched the expected public service. Unfortunately, there is more talk in town as regards the services offered by the PSMAS. By coincidence, the salary saga has also happened in the dissolved ZBC board where Mr. Cuthbert Dube was part of the leadership.
These revelations come as a shock to the anxious Zimbabwean public as Mr. Dube allegedly takes home way more than he can chew. Together with his top management, their salary bill ranges around $1 million per month, an amount good enough to move the economy or meet the national teacher salary bill. The PSMAS board comprises key ZANU PF officials who also include one member from the national security sector.
Current documents being perused by government and leaked to the state media show that, by 2012, Dube was earning a basic monthly salary of US$230 000 from his previously earned US$144 097,52 in the same year. The big jump in the same year meant that his basic salary went up by nearly US$100 000 in three months.
The PSMAS annual wage bill rose from US$15 547 171 in 2011 to US$33 413 373 in 2012, almost half of which was paid to the top 14 managers.
After Mr Dube, the next two top earners, according to the documents, were the group finance manager, a Mr E. Gwinyai (no longer with the PSMAS), who earned a basic salary of US$200 000 a month, and group operations executive Mr Enock Chitekedza (US$122 000).
Eight other senior directors were earning a basic salary of US$60 000 every month.
Three other middle managers were paid US$30 000, US$22 000 and US$15 000 00 each.
The crunched numbers brought the PSMAS monthly wage bill of the top 14 officers to just nearly US$1,1 million. Everyone else at PSMAS earns a combined US$900 000 as reflected by the documents.
Further, all group executives recently received a US$300 000 payment, approved by Mr Dube, for as yet unclear reasons.
In June of 2012, the monthly wage bill of the top 14 stood at US$570 969 and it increased to US$744 000 in July and August.
Minutes of a meeting held on Wednesday July 4, 2012 show that Mr Dube approved lump sum payments of US$300 000 for each of the group executives, and these payments were to be made with arrears subscriptions recovered from the private sector.
“It was agreed that a special bank account to be administered by the three collective bargaining committee representatives in liaison with the group finance executive, be opened for that purpose with immediate effect,” read part of the minutes.
The minutes further state that the representatives should, on a regular basis, update the group chief executive on the inflows and disbursements from the said special bank account.
The documents also show that PSMAS bought a house in Glen Lorne, Harare, for about US$534 000.
It could not be established by the time of going to press whether the purchase was a loan advanced to Mr Dube or was part of his package as group CEO.
Mr Dube, who collects almost $3 million per year in salaries alone, had in the afternoon said he could not comment as he was busy. He said he would be free to talk after 6pm but his mobile phone went unanswered up to the time of going to print.
Efforts to get comment from board chair Mrs Meisie Makeletso Namasasu and her deputy Mr. Newton Mhlanga were also futile as of last night.
PSMAS group legal and corporate secretary Mr Cosmas Mukwesha yesterday dismissed the alleged salary schedule in our possession saying employees last got an increment in 2011.
Mr Mukwesha could not be drawn into revealing the “correct” salary schedule, saying: “Issues of salaries are private and confidential but I assure you they are far away from the figures you are talking about.”
He said PSMAS was reviewing salaries with assistance from officials from the Ministry of Finance.
On the US$300 000 once-off lump sum that our documents show was approved for all group executives, Mr Mukwesha said the money was yet to be paid out because of financial limitations.
He said the lump sum was a housing loan that would be deducted from salaries monthly.
But Health and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa said Government was investigating the matter.
“We are investigating the allegations in an intense manner together with other issues that are happening in the medical aid industry.
“We want to put things under control in a sustainable manner for the benefit of the country,” Dr Parirenyatwa said.
Dr Parirenyatwa said apart from the salaries, his ministry – in conjunction with the Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Ministry – was also looking at medical aid subscriptions and service providers’ tariffs among other things.
The Government monitors and regulates medical aid societies’ operations. It licences them to operate as societies and has the mandate to de-register them when they fall short of public expectations and government requirements.
43 Replies to “Cuthbert Dube “Earns 7 Times More than U.S. President””
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Like the man who was recently sentenced to 230 yrs in prison for rape these executives should equally be sentenced for raping the country while the struggling masses who contribute to such organisations are not enjoying the benefits of the service they deserve. The country is bleeding while these idiots leave in luxury.They definately need to serve time at Chikurubi together with hard labour and all the gains repossesed.
Right girls; lets have the following people’s salaries checked.
1. G. Pasi ZIMRA
2. Mutasa Zimpapers
3. T. Dube ZDI
4. Mugabe (of course)
5. nemwamwe maparastatals
Anybody out there please tell us. ma secretaries especially musatya, taurayi. Freedom is near.
Kana mandex oba anobira futi futi,look at Obert Mpofu,,,mangwana onzwa voti we are marginalised…nxaaa
mambavha ezanu ese
this is the zimbabwe we want kimreds
these people should be fired immediately with no benefits and left for the law to take its course.
Aaaah this is absolute madness,the country is on it’s knees and some idiots are pocketing heify salaries like these.l had hoped to give Zanu pf a chance to revive the economy but l now knw that nothing is going to be good any time soon..l thot pple just hate them for nothing but nw l knw why… Bloody thieves nxaaa,they’re distroying and destroying.Our future and that of our children is great danger all thanks to Zanu pf nxaaaa.
Zanu people always burking making noise about sanctions nxaaa this I country in now a banana republic.if this country was not ruled by criminals, Dube,Muchechetere and other corrupt zanu dogs were going to be jailed. The uneducated CEO of Zanu Brainwashing Cooperation (ZBC) Hapson was even giving him advanced salary yet the employees had gone fer months with out salary. Nxaaa varungu vaiva nani by far
the government should be freeze their assets with immediate effect and retrieve all our monies.
“The system and its gravy train are not salutary at all to the revolutionary party that leads us and that rode on the promises of a more equal life among its citizens”
You said it all right there sir. Just like the small policemen soliciting bribes is not doing so on behalf of government or ZANU. It’s for his own pocket.
I remember the Personnel manager, Costain construction, mid-nineties, who tried to shortchange the workers while using them, and other company resources to extend his house. They waylaid and beat him. Some arrests were made but the story made the press and grievances were addressed.
Batai vanhu!
He is upping the stakes, Zim must be a rich country. Claim your piece too. The diamonds must be good. N0w i understand this battle for Zimbabwe
So if our Government intels can track me thru this comment, do you believe kuti President Mugabe avazvi zive here kuti Dube et al are looting and killing us….
Sure under hands of ZPF People will Die
What is holding every ministry to investigate its parastatal-
Hwange
Zesa
NSSA
All City councils
NRZ
GMB
ZIMWA
RBZ
Air Zimbabwe
ZUPCO
There are hush hush rumours that the CEO for ZIMWA gets a hefty salary and he obtained a six figure loan for himself.
Parliament should demand disclosure on all management salaries in parastatals.
Ko kuzoti kumadiamonds uko………ahyass ndo inonzi welcome to zimbabwe ladies and gentlemen.
yaaa Zvakaoma shuwa, chekuba hachigari Cuthbert Dube hona nhasi??
Chimwe nechimwe chinenguva yacho. Zvichasvika pakupera zvese izvi. Ichasvika nguva yeOperation-Mari-Wakaiwanepi. Vese varikuita izvi vachagara mumaboyskyer. Kune vanoziva shona chaiyo asiri mabvakure, inga zvinonzi chisingaperi chinoshura. Ndiudze vaimedzeswa matatya mapenyu naHitler, zvakazodii. Muchatozoshamisika muZimbabwe ichasvika nguva yekuti ukarasa chinhu unochiwana chisina kana atora
This piecemeal treatment of this VERY dangerous practice by these para bosses is not what good journalism is all about..Information about these crazy salaries exist..why not publish a complete schedule of who earns what where..This way Zimeye would have taken the lead from all other publications with their piecemeal approaches..As we speak other para-bosses are busy hiding schedules and destroying information and they will never be called to account..Go to the source and get the schedules of salaries of all the 78 parastatals..the information is available..talk to former Minister of Parastatals Gorden Moyo, he has schedules for everyone..what the hell are you waiting for? This is a scandal of the 21st century like Willowgate..it only needs a smart reporter to enter his name in the annuls of history..that reporter could come frm your stable..Go on make a name for the paper!
$230 000 ya2012 iyo. Tiripa $330 000 izvozvi. makasara sebhodhoro reTarino
Barack Obama – President US – Born: USA, Hawaii 1961 – Married – Children: 2
Annual: USD 400,000.00
Monthly: USD 33,333.00
Weekly: USD 8,000.00
Daily: USD 1,600.00
the way of all sunset leaders,they want the meat of the goose laying the golden eggs.God is watching
Well done ZimEye for this highly informative piece of investigative journalism! My challenge is for you to extend this valuable service to the nation by carrying out a similar exercise with state universities. I worked for one of these for over 10 years and sat on its Council as a representative of the Academic Staff for all those years. All salary reviews for the university’s workers with real figures in black and white would be tabled and discussed in the Council meetings except those of 6 officers, namely the Vice Chancellor, the Pro Vice Chancellor, the PA to the Vice Chancellor, the Registrar, the Bursar and the Librarian. These posts were said to be designated and their salaries were said to be not for public consumption even to the University Council, the de jure proprietor of the University. These 6 officers would not appear on the University payroll. Instead a special payroll for them was administered by a private accounting firm domiciled away from the University’s city of physical location!
go to zimra and see wat pasi is taking home. zimbabwe ndeyeropa shuwa
ndiko kunonzi kunanzvirazve uku, 230grand pamwedzi! Vamwe varikudya nyika rutivi zveshuwa vakafa hapana chavakaona
Yoooooooo
How many people have died due to failure by PSMAS not paying service providers while the likes of Dube are swimming in money. Just a question vasikana, how much does iye Mugabe earn if the likes of Dube are buying ten houses per month? Watch this space! Icho! Check corruption yaGoche kuministry of transport! Taura hako!
i cry for the beloved country
i have come to a point where i dont even have a word to say. GOD PLEASE INTERVENE. THIS CORRUPTION IS ABOVE US.
To be honest .they is too much corruption and greedyness among Zimbabweans.kwanzi mari inonaka vamwe vachidya nhoko dzezvironda.Huroyi chaiho.kubata mari yese iyo pasina basa rawaita.one man one farm.one house.limited money in ones account.one child.one car .Ndiyo Zimbabwe yangu iyoyo
We have heard of Mabamba the Zanu Pf councillor who owns illegal 4000 residential and cemetery stands in Chitungwiza. The reason why we heard this was that government wanted to regularize these illegal stands. We also heard ZBC had over 400 ghost workers little did we know this was a regularizing stance. Now we hear of Cuthbert earning more than Obama and the Governor of the Bank of America. Nothing will happen but just to let us know how the indigenisation is going. Hapana chinobuda nana Mugabe.
Taura hako Mafistos let alone kuma diamonds uko
jehovah simukai murwire vana venyu mumaoko amasatanist aya anomwa ropa revashandi
One of the best articles to appear on Zimeye lately: factual, focused, excellent diction, vocab & grammar.
It is sad that PSMAS is now failing to pay for services rendered, is heavily in $38m debt. Financially gluttonous Cuthbert Dog and his henchmen should be jailed for fraud and stripped of all their assets, which should be sold to pay off that huge debt.
They must be left with nothing, like stray dogs and join the other bastard scavenger stray dog Jumpdaki, the wannabe Mthakathi
Gumbura wandigumbura
This is the same in a ll parastatals,endai kana ku POSB chaiko muone.the nation doesnt need some brilliant econmic programme to succeed.All it needs is a total no nonsese approach to corruption mostly in public enties chete muone…
Cuthbert mudenga UYO. Roverai pasi BWAAA!
When we say yaora u think inhema here? Hezvouko Bwaaa.
1st $40 000 of Zbc now $230 000 of Psmas
yah ndiko kugona kuba
daylight robbery.kubirwa mari pachena with poor service delivery.
Aaaaaaaa $300 000 this ic shit ,true corruption fuck him neZanu yake
This a public scam because subscribers are paying dues to get health care services. And it turns out that the subscriptions are being pocketed right there in your face by some daring CEO with support of some cabinet ministers. This is Zimbabwe my friend.
In all fairness the figures do not make sense.Where is all this money coming from?
These corrupt people should just go to jail.Period. If the Anti Corruption Commission is to be taken as effective, then let’s see how they can handle such a public fraud in such a fragile economy. Ndozvauraya Zimbabwe izvi.