THE Gwanda Town Council has proposed to award its retiring town clerk Gilbert Mlilo a $390 000 golden handshake, but the Local Government Board (LGB) has rejected the figure and slashed it by more than a half.
ALBERT NCUBE OWN CORRESPONDENT
Mlilo retires today and council submitted to the LGB that it intended to award Mlilo two and half months’ salary for every year served. Mlilo has served the council for 26 years.
For purposes of calculating Mlilo’s retirement package, council pegged his salary at $6 000 per month in line with the new salary structures for parastatal and municipal executives. According to council recommendations, Mlilo was set to receive $15 000 for every year served, meaning that he would have pocketed $390 000 for his 26 years in office as a golden handshake.
However, according to council minutes, the LGB turned down council submissions and instead offered Mlilo about half that amount. The LGB wrote to the municipality on April 14 advising it of the position regarding Mlilo’s package.
The LGB decided that Mlilo’s package be calculated at 10% of his monthly salary yearly for the number of years served.
Accordingly, Mlilo’s package stands at $7 200 for each year and he will receive a total package of $187 200 for the period in service.
In a rare gesture of solidarity, Mlilo agreed with the cash-strapped municipality to pay his package in monthly instalments.
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Mlilo will also receive an Isuzu Rodeo, a computer and a cellphone as part of his exit package.
Mlilo, who was denied a house as part of his package will, however, receive a housing stand and will pay 30% of the land value if he had been awarded a stand previously.
Mlilo was the second-highest paid council administrator in the country after the Harare town clerk.
Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa divulged in Parliament that Mlilo’s basic pay was $6 766,37, but it was pumped up by numerous allowances, which included responsibility ($2 706,55) professional ($2 368,23), retention ($2 368,23), telephone ($1 014,96), cellphone allowance ($1 014,96) housing and car benefits of $278,58.
Mlilo was also entitled to other employee benefits not paid as cash and these included school fees payment of $100 per term for up to two children, medical expenses, holiday allowance equivalent to the rate of Beitbridge Holiday Inn Express for two adults and a child, personal motor vehicle allowance of $100, weekly fuel of 20 to 30 litres depending on vehicle engine size, payment of his tariffs, water and electricity bills.
