HARARE – Had former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe let the impeachment process go ahead‚ he would have been fired with no benefits.
The Presidential Pension and Retirement Act’s Section 6 stipulates that a former president can be denied pension if he or she leaves office having “acted in wilful violation of the Constitution; or of gross misconduct.”
The charge sheet brought before Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda had allegations that Mugabe’s “serious misconduct” was that he let his wife speak about government business in public when she was not a cabinet minister and also abused state resources among other issues.
Mugabe will earn the same amount of money earned by the sitting president. In 2015‚ during an interview he claimed to be earning US$12‚000 (R167,064) per month. At independence in 1980‚ Mugabe was prime minister‚ while there was a ceremonial president‚ the late Canaan Banana‚ who on retirement earned 75 percent of the sitting head of state’s salary.
“He will be well off. This constitution was drafted in 2013 with Mugabe’s exit in mind having agreed on the two terms clause‚” said Sam Ncube‚ a lawyer based in Harare.
Mugabe’s advanced age (93) has been of interest during his last days in office. The impeachment charge also alleged that he could not execute his duties due to old age. Mugabe would sleep during meetings and some of the harshest critics had nicknamed him “the goblin.”
In an event that he passes on‚ his widow would earn 60 percent of the pension.
Section C of the Act reads: “To a surviving spouse of a person who‚ on the date of his death‚ was receiving or was entitled to receive a pension in terms of paragraph (a) or (a1) ‚ an annual pension equal to two-thirds of the annual pension which that person would have received or would have been entitled to receive had he not died.”
If it goes down to children they will get a third of the pension as long as they are under 18 years of age.
The former First Lady‚ Grace Mugabe‚ will also sit pretty. She will get state sponsored domestic help‚ air travel‚ office accommodation and an entertainment allowance‚ as may be prescribed from time to time by the sitting President through statutory instrument. -timeslive
