THE decision by the Local Government ministry to cut salaries of all council employees for them to focus on service delivery was long overdue.
NewsDay Editorial
In several cities, council employees, particularly managers, have been lining their pockets, driving expensive vehicles and living luxurious lifestyles at the expense of service delivery.
The directive by Local Government secretary George Mlilo by way of a circular dated October 8 to all local authorities is sweet music to the long-suffering residents.
Residents have been the biggest losers by financing the unreasonable and unsustainable salaries and allowances of council management.
For Harare, 18 managers at Town House were gobbling more than $500 000 a month in salaries and since January, government has been trying to address the challenge, without success.
Mlilo directed that all local authorities cut salaries from management to the lowest grades for them to “ensure local authorities implement a service delivery ration of 60:40”.
Part of the circular read: “As you recall, after the realisation that local authorities are paying unsustainable salaries and allowances at the expense of basic service delivery, the government sought to rationalise the remuneration for all local authorities’ employees.”
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Following the exposé by NewsDay earlier this year of the outrageous salaries and allowances for Harare City Council management ranging from $15 000 for the lowest paid manager to $37 000 for the town clerk, this triggered an outcry from residents’ associations who threatened action to stop the abuse of funds.
The residents felt robbed by the city management that was living large while refuse was not being collected in their suburbs, sewage flowing in the streets exposing residents to typhoid and other waterborne diseases and roads in bad shape.
Running water remains scarce in most suburbs and the local authorities are faced with a daunting task to ensure all these are supplied and addressed.
The biggest challenge was the eagerness by management in most local authorities to award themselves hefty salaries while doing nothing to address the needs of the people.
Harare Residents’ Trust (HRT), Combined Harare Residents’ Association (CHRA) and several other organisations fought hard to stop the paying of such money.
Despite government intervention to cut salaries for council employees to sustainable levels, there was resistance from the local authorities hence the latest development, which show that government is determined to address the matter, is laudable.
Ordinary council workers have been struggling and going for months without salaries yet simple calculations shows that the salary of Harare town clerk Tendai Mahachi alone was enough to pay more than 200 ordinary workers.
It is hoped that councils will follow the directive without fail and residents will be the biggest winners as services will now be hopefully provided.
Government, however, should make sure that the directive is followed to the letter so that councils do not continue milking residents of their hard-earned cash by awarding themselves allowances that are ridiculous.
