Zimbabwe will pay civil servants a special presidential bonus of $150 in two installments as nationwide protests loom Friday, Public Service Minister Edgar Moyo announced Thursday.
The payment will be disbursed in two equal installments of $75 in November and December 2025, in addition to regular annual bonuses and salaries, Moyo said at a press conference in Harare on October 16.
The announcement comes hours before demonstrations called by fugitive war veteran Blessed Geza against President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government. Geza has urged citizens to “flood the streets of Harare to reclaim our dignity from the corrupt and indifferent regime” on October 17.
The government will restore civil servants’ vehicle rebates to 2022 benefit levels from December 1, Moyo said. Authorities will recapitalize the Premier Service Medical Aid Society to ensure sustainable healthcare access for public servants.
Zimbabwe allocated 26,000 housing stands for civil servants – 20,000 in Harare and 6,000 in Bulawayo – with plans for additional allocations nationwide, according to the minister.
“These measures reaffirm Government’s dedication to uplifting the welfare of workers and pensioners,” Moyo told reporters.
The timing coincides with growing political tensions within the ruling Zanu PF party. Vice President Constantino Chiwenga presented a 17-page dossier to the party’s politburo on September 17 accusing Mnangagwa of presiding over “corruption, capture and betrayal.”
Chiwenga demanded immediate arrests of businessmen Kudakwashe Tagwirei, Wicknell Chivayo, Scott Sakupwanya, and Delish Nguwaya, alleging they “brazenly looted our state coffers with impunity.” The vice president accused Tagwirei of masterminding a $3.2 billion corruption scam.
Mnangagwa’s allies dismissed the allegations as “false, malicious and reckless” in a written response to the politburo Tuesday.
Geza cited constitutional provisions granting citizens the right to peaceful protest. He appealed to security forces to protect demonstrators, saying “the Zimbabwe Defence Forces are duty-bound to protect the nation, its people, and its interests.”
Police declared nearly a dozen National Youth Service graduates “persons of interest” after they appeared in a viral video calling for Mnangagwa’s removal, national police spokesperson Paul Nyathi said Tuesday.
Civil servants have demanded restoration of pre-October 2018 salary levels of $540 minimum. Teachers union leader Obert Masaraure said the bonus was “way below” the $520 teachers received before 2017.
The Job Evaluation Remuneration Framework will be implemented in the first quarter of 2026, Moyo said.
Zimbabwe faces economic challenges including currency instability and inflation. The government devalued its local currency, Zimbabwe Gold, by over 40 percent recently.
The protests coincide with Zanu PF’s annual conference in Mutare from October 13-18, where the party is expected to discuss extending Mnangagwa’s presidency beyond 2028.
Geza, a former Sanyati legislator wanted on sedition charges, claimed to speak for disillusioned liberation war fighters frustrated by “economic decay and political betrayal.”
A group calling itself Peace Loving Zimbabweans warned citizens to stay home Friday, describing the planned protests as “a reckless and illegal attempt to provoke chaos.”
The announcement reflects government efforts to address civil service grievances while managing political instability ahead of Friday’s planned demonstrations across major cities.
