Zanu PF council angers workers

THE Zanu PF-controlled Gwanda Town Council has raised the ire of workers by acquiring five Nissan single cab pickup trucks at a cost of $100 000 when the municipality has gone for about six months without paying salaries.

THE Zanu PF-controlled Gwanda Town Council has raised the ire of workers by acquiring five Nissan single cab pickup trucks at a cost of $100 000 when the municipality has gone for about six months without paying salaries.

ALBERT NCUBE OWN CORRESPONDENT

The five vehicles are being kept at Phakama Clinic and would soon be dispatched to various council departments.

Gwanda mayor Knowledge Ndlovu confirmed acquisition of the vehicles, but declined to reveal how the cash-strapped council raised the money for the purchases.

“Right now I cannot say much about the vehicles as we are yet to meet as council,” he said.

However, municipal sources said the deal involved some barter trading.

“There is a company that bought a commercial stand and paid $100 000 for it and offered council five vehicles as payment of the balance,” the source said.

Council has previously resorted to selling land to raise money to fund its operations.

It indicated earlier this year that new vehicles were needed to enhance service delivery as its current fleet had virtually broken down.

Meanwhile, council workers have threatened to embark on industrial action on August 20 after accusing the employer of reneging on an agreement to pay them their outstanding salaries.

The workers went on strike in April and only returned to work after council management promised to clear salary arrears by the end of July.

“We will be going on an indefinite strike at the end of this month and this time we won’t be going back to work until we get our five months’ salaries.

“We are not happy as workers that management has failed to honour the agreement,” Sipho Ndlovu, the council’s workers’ chairperson, said.

He said they would be meeting the residents’ association to inform it of the planned strike set to paralyse council operations.