MUGABE DEMANDS $500K PENSION IN CASH

Former President Robert Mugabe is demanding that he should be paid his pension lump sum of nearly half a million dollars in cash. He also ...

Former President Robert Mugabe is demanding that he should be paid his pension lump sum of nearly half a million dollars in cash.

He also wants his monthly payments of $13 000 to be paid in cash. Apparently, Mugabe has always been paid in cash. 

The Sunday Mail reports that Mugabe had been getting monthly cash payments of $20 000 while still Head of State and Government.  Former First Lady Grace Mugabe is also getting a monthly payment of $2 170 from the State.

On March 1, 2018, the Chair of the Public Service Commission, Mr Mariyawanda Nzuwah wrote to Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Dr John Mangudya asking monetary authorities to avail the cash for Mr Mugabe.

“The former President opted to commute one-third of his pension and he is therefore entitled to monthly pension of $13 333 and lump sum pension amounting to $467 200. The former President was being paid his salary in cash and he has requested that the same arrangement be maintained.

“We are kindly requesting you to avail cash amounting to $467 200 and monthly cash amounts of $13 333 for us to pay the former President of Zimbabwe his pension benefits,” wrote Mr Nzuwah.

Since he resigned in November 2017, Mr Mugabe has received $80 000 in pension, while Mrs Mugabe has received $8 680.

The Sunday Mail was told that President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who took over from Mr Mugabe, had been left bemused by the arrangement.

“I can tell you for a fact, because I was there, that a lady (name withheld) from CBZ Bank came with a sack of cash to President Mnangagwa’s Office when his first pay day arrived. The President asked her what the money was for, and she pulled out a form and said it was his salary and he must sign for it.

“The President said it was highly irregular and irresponsible, and the lady indicated that cash salary payments were standard for the old man (Mr Mugabe) and she assumed that was how things were done for the highest office in the land.


“His Excellency gave her his bank account number and told her to do a transfer as is done for everyone else, and told her that if he needed cash he would queue for it like everyone else because the cash shortages affected all Zimbabweans and he would demand no such preferential and irregular treatment.”