Local Government minister Ignatius Chombo has rejected Zvishavane Town Council’s 2015 budget due to the local authority’s failure to slash management salaries as ordered by the government last year. ALLIEWAY NYONI Own Correspondent
Zvishavane Town Council submitted an unchanged $6,5 million budget for approval by the ministry.
However, the move hit a rock after Chombo rejected it, arguing that management salaries should be slashed, as they did not reflect the capacity of the town.
Zvishavane Town Council chairperson Isau Dube Gwatipeda confirmed the development saying councillors asked Chombo to reject the budget, as it was compiled without their input and despite the unchanged salaries, the document did not have the chairman’s signature, making it null and void.
“We are pleased that the minister rejected the budget, as it was done without the consent of councillors and neither was the final draft presented to the public for approval,” he said.
“The management has for a long time been doing things on their own without giving respect to councillors as policy makers.
“To show their disrespect and ignorance, the budget submitted to the minister did not have my (chairman) signature making it a useless document.”
However, Zvishavane Town Council secretary Tinoda Mukutu said the local authority was in the process of passing the budget through various stages and amendments had been made, adding that they were waiting for Chombo to approve the latest copy submitted last Thursday.
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“The budget has passed through various stages and what is left is the boss’s signature and the statutory instrument,” he said.
But Gwatipedza said council would be meeting tomorrow to discuss the rejected budget.
“Council is meeting tomorrow over this saga,” he said. An official from the Local Government ministry said the budget was rejected to avoid cases where local authorities awarded themselves mega salaries despite poor service delivery.
