Kadoma Municipality fails to pay employees

By The NewsDay | Mar. 31, 2014 | 2 Min read

Kadoma Municipality has failed to pay its employees for the past three months, NewsDay can reveal

Kadoma Municipality has failed to pay its employees for the past three months, NewsDay can reveal.

BY BLESSED MHLANGA STAFF REPORTER THE ongoing company closures, resulting from the underperforming national economy and a dicey investment environment, have choked the municipality’s revenue inflows. Kadoma mayor Muchineripi Chinyanganya confirmed the local authority was in salary arrears but blamed it on closure of the town’s major companies.

“Our revenue inflows have significantly dried up with rates payments of less than 30% being made. Because most of the major companies like Kadoma Paper Mills, Maranatha Ferochrome and David Whitehead are struggling, it therefore means most of our residents cannot afford to pay their bills,” he said.

Council is currently saddled with a $4 million energy debt and also faces the wrath of the Zimbabwe National Water Authority over a $353 782 debt which council is failing to pay.

Some of the workers interviewed by NewsDay however, accused management of paying themselves hefty salaries and perks while ordinary employees remained unpaid.

“We have not received salaries for the past three months regardless of the fact that ratepayers are paying some of their bills. We are, therefore, failing to meet rentals, school fees and other basics,” said a worker who refused to be named.

Chinyanganya denied allegations that management was living large at the expense of its junior employees.

“Residents are failing to pay their bills because just less than a year after government forced councils to cancel all debts we are already owed $8 million by residents alone while the debt by the business community has hit $7 million,” he said.