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Joy for civil servants who participated in elections
The Herald
August 30, 2013

http://www.herald.co.zw/joy-for-civil-servants-who-participated-in-elections/

Civil servants who participated in the 2013 local authority elections will provisionally remain Government employees while the Civil Service Commission is working on the realignment of the public service law with the new Constitution.

In a statement yesterday, CSC secretary Mrs Pretty Sunguro said the commission was in the process of realigning the Public Service Act and the Public Service Regulations with the new Constitution, giving a reprieve to civil servants who contested for public office in the 31 July polls.

The civil servants are likely to know their fate after the completion of the exercise.

“Be advised that in terms of the Sixth Schedule Part 2, section 3 (2) the Constitution of Zimbabwe came into effect on August 22, 2013, the day his Excellency the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe assumed office,” said Mrs Sunguro. “The Civil Service Commission which came into effect on 22 August, 2013 is working towards aligning the Public Service Act and the Public Service Regulations with the new Constitution Amendment (no 20) Act 2013.

“In the interim, members of the civil service who participated in the 2013 harmonised elections in local authorities remain members of the civil service.” Mrs Sunguro said the provisions of the Public Service Act Chapter 26: 04, section 23 would remain in force, giving the civil servants the right to remain Government employees, at least for now.

The CSC, then PSC, last month gave civil servants keen on contesting for public office in the harmonised elections the green-light to do so and set aside a provision for them to re-apply for their jobs in the event that they lose in the polls.

Initially, Government had told the workers that they would lose their posts if they contested in the polls as they would be considered retired or resigned from service.

This did not go down well with some civil servant bodies, who argued that there should be a guarantee for them to retain their jobs after the elections. This forced Government to give them the chance to re-apply.

Members seeking election in local authority were given an allowance of 30 days to which they could re-apply for re-instatement in the event they abandoned their candidature or lost the elections.

Those seeking election into Parliament had 90 days within which they could re-apply to rejoin the public service. Many civil servants contested in the local authorities and National Assembly elections and a significant number of them made it.

Zanu-PF routed the MDC-T in local authority elections, sweeping 1 493 out of 1 951 wards that were at stake. The MDC-T got 442 wards, while MDC got 14 wards. Dr Dumiso Dabengwa’s Zapu got one ward.

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