MUTARE City councillors have resolved to petition the Local Government Urban and Rural Development minister over the municipality’s move to terminate employment of more than 400 contract workers.
Report by Obey Manayiti
In an explosive special council meeting on Monday, some managers said though they needed extra workers in their various departments, they too were of the view that council could not afford to pay them.
Tempers flared in the meeting as councillors accused management of lack of transparency and that their decision was influenced by politics.
After failing to discuss the business of the day, the meeting resolved to petition Ignatius Chombo.
“I am going to make an appointment with the minister (Chombo) and if he agrees to see us, then we will go there with the finance director, finance chairperson, general purpose chairperson and other councillors,” the acting mayor George Jerison said.
The councillors refused to accept that the municipality’s decision was instructed by lack of money.
“We are here to discuss the plight of contract workers not the financial status of council. This is an irrelevant meeting and we should adjourn it until we get a proper agenda,” councillor Noel Nezomba said.
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“They get below $300 monthly and that is not too much, considering the amount of work they do. We should focus on how we should get money to pay them while they remain at work,” he added.
On the other hand town clerk Obert Muzawazi denied allegations by some councillors that he decided to lay off the workers because they jeered and insulted him in front of minister of State Dydmus Mutasa who had been invited to Mutare to help solve the city’s problems.
Other councillors demanded that council renew the contracts for a month until a resolution is made by Chombo.
The cash-strapped city is struggling to pay workers and since last week, knives have been out between councillors and management over the handling of employment contracts.
