Ncube Promises Civil Servant Salary Adjustments in First Quarter of 2026

Government has announced plans to review and increase civil servants’ salaries in the first quarter of 2026, although it has not disclosed the exact percentage of the proposed adjustments.

The announcement was made by Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube while responding to questions during debate on the 2026 National Budget in the National Assembly last year.

According to Prof Ncube, Treasury intends to implement salary adjustments for government employees as part of ongoing efforts to address remuneration concerns within the public sector. He said the planned increases will be guided by the outcomes of the civil service job evaluation exercise.

“There is provision in the budget for salary adjustments for civil servants in the first quarter. This process will take place and will be informed by the job evaluation exercise,” said Ncube.

Public service unions have reacted cautiously to the announcement, reiterating long-standing demands for salaries to be restored to their pre-2018 levels. Labour representatives argue that the lowest-paid civil servant earned about US$540 per month before October 2018, which they want used as a benchmark to restore the real value of wages.

In recent years, government has introduced what unions describe as token adjustments, including a US$40 increase in late 2024, a US$20 cost-of-living adjustment in March 2024, and a US$150 once-off “bonus” toward the end of 2025. Workers say these measures fall far short of addressing rising living costs.

Civil servants continue to complain that they are failing to meet basic household needs, citing the widening gap between official and parallel market exchange rates. The situation is further complicated by the fact that a portion of their earnings is paid in local currency, which rapidly loses value.