FIFTEEN Chitungwiza Municipality top officials have been accused of “clandestinely” awarding themselves a combined $97 000 per month in salaries and allowances while the majority of workers at the cash-strapped council have gone unpaid for six months. According to a management salaries schedule shown to NewsDay yesterday the top council managers allegedly awarded themselves over $6 000 each per month in salaries and allowances.
REPORT BY WONAI MASVINGISE
These include housemaid, entertainment, representation, responsibility and technical allowances. A municipality’s company cost analysis report for March 2013 in NewsDay’s possession showed that council management’s salaries and allowances add up to $97 603,35. Of this, basic salary constitutes $61 117, 35 while the remainder was going towards allowances.
An employee who declined to be named said: “We have now gone for six months without salaries and they (management) have cut our allowances for workers in Grades 1 to 13. They said they were doing this in order to lessen council’s financial burden. However, we were surprised to discover that they were secretly giving themselves hefty allowances.”
The worker added: “Last week, Grades 1 to 5 were given their December salaries without the allowances. Management has a secret payroll and they are enjoying themselves while we suffer.”
But Chitungwiza human resources manager Mary Mukonyora denied the allegation saying no council employees including top managers have been paid since March this year. She added the alleged salary schedule leaked to the Press was a forged document.
“At the moment we haven’t paid anyone for the month of March, for the month of February, and for the month of January. We have a standing agreement to withhold all allowances so I do not think that document is genuine. We haven’t paid anyone in management even for the month of December (and) so I don’t know where that document is coming from,” Mukonyora said.
