Harare — THE country's first ever civil service payroll and skills audit will start on Monday at an estimated cost of US$4 million.

The Public Service Ministry has engaged independent auditors, CGI, to assist in the audit which will cover all public servants regulated by the Public Service Act and the Health Services Act and will exclude the uniformed forces and other security services.

About 1 460 enumerators and 375 vehicles would be involved in the exercise.

The main audit will end on December 18. It precedes a pilot audit that started in Chitungwiza and the Midlands on Monday and is expected to end today.

"This audit is not in any shape or form a witch-hunt. Neither is it meant to apportion blame," said Public Service Minister, Eliphas Mukonoweshuro. "The mo-ney is coming from the Multi-Donor Trust Fund. The World Bank is only the holder of the purse."

Mukonoweshuro who also revealed that civil servants had started receiving their bonuses dismissed as false and malicious claims that the World Bank had requested information on civil servants adding that his ministry was fully in charge of the exercise.

"To ensure that all targeted public servants are covered during the exercise, the audit will be conducted along the same lines as the national census whereby enumerators will visit all pay-stations...the restoration of basic services is one of the major goals of the inclusive government. This cannot be achieved without the restoration of confidence in the public service," he said.

The minister said in carrying out the audit his ministry will note the contents of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor-General that un-earthed the existence of ghost workers at the Ministry of Youth Development, Gender and Employment Creation.

In some ministries the audit established that some people who had ceased to be government employees continued to receive salaries.

Public servants would be required to bring their birth certificates, national identity documents or passport, latest pay slip, letters of appointment as well as academic or professional certificates for the audit.