A NUMBER of headmen in Hwange, Matabeleland North, have gone for years without receiving payment from the Local Government ministry.
This emerged in Parliament when Hwange East legislator, Joseph Bonda, questioned why headmen from his district were being neglected and demanded answers on measures being taken to clear their outstanding allowances.
“My question is directed to the minister…. to clarify why headmen in Hwange district have not been receiving their salaries and to provide information regarding any outstanding pay owed to them?” Bonda asked.
Local Government deputy minister, Benjamin Kabirika, said all headmen were being paid.
“Let me say all appointed headmen in the Hwange area are receiving their allowances. There are none that are owed any back pay,” Kabirika said.
In a supplementary question, Bonda said Hwange had only one headman in the whole district getting a salary.
“Some have gone up to something like 10 or 15 years and they are not being appointed so that they can be substantive,” Bonda said.
“How prompt is the ministry preparing to make sure that the headmen who are the pillars of development in the village will one day get a salary like headman in other districts?”
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Kabirika said the Local Government and Public Works ministry was trying to the best of its ability to ensure the appointment and installation of traditional leaders.
“As a ministry, we will try as quickly as possible to expedite their appointment,” Kabirika said.
Another legislator Tofanana Zhou asked the deputy minister what was the government position regarding the appointment of chiefs in resettlement areas.
“It is in the pipeline and the ministry is working towards appointing the chiefs, but the first port of call is the alignment of the Traditional Leadership Act with the Constitution which is at an advanced stage,” Kabirika said.
