THE cash-strapped Gwanda Town Council is contemplating cutting its workers’ salaries arguing that it has been handsomely rewarding them at the expense of service delivery. ALBERT NCUBE OWN CORRESPONDENT
Gwanda housing director Sipho Mdlongwa last week made stunning revelations at a special full council meeting that high salaries for workers at MaNkomo beer hall were unsustainable.
“We carried a survey around town and realised that most bars pay their workers $250, but our cashier is getting around $700 a month and with such salaries we are unable to run the bar,” said Mdlongwa.
Council finance and licensing committee chairperson Johane Ncube then recommended the slashing of workers’ salaries during the meeting.
Ncube told the meeting that his committee was recommending that workers’ salaries be cut in line with new salaries prescribed by the government.
However, mayor Knowledge Ndlovu said it was prudent for the committee to first discuss the issue with workers before a resolution could be passed.
The move to cut workers’ salaries comes after a probe team from the Local Government ministry was dispatched to investigate huge salaries being paid to top council managers.
The probe team unearthed that the council was spending 75% of its total revenue on salaries with 25% going to service delivery.
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According to local government regulations, salaries should only eat up 30% of revenue with 70% going towards service delivery.
At the end of April, the municipality owed its workers $508 167 in outstanding salaries. Most workers have gone for four months without pay.
Meanwhile, the council has intensified its resolve to have incumbent chamber secretary Priscilla Nkala appointed as the new town clerk despite her coming a distant fourth in interviews held recently.
Zanu PF councillors passed a resolution to add Nkala’s name to the list of shortlisted candidates to be forwarded to the Local Government Board for the post of town clerk. Thuso Maphala, Levis Maphosa and Lot Mpande were shortlisted as the top three candidates by the interviewing panel.
