According to council workers, the last time they received their full salaries was in August, and since then the municipality has been battling to pay the workforce. ‘”We were forced into signing the letter that came from the office of the town clerk last week. We are scared of losing our jobs. The council has not paid us in a very long time and we have been struggling to make ends meet. We wish the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions would intervene so that the authorities would do something to pay us,” said one member of the town’s workers’ union who asked not to be named.
“We cannot speak about our salaries to anyone, even the management. Anyone who breaches the document can be fired or suspended,” said the union leader. Much to the chagrin of the workers, the councils top brass award themselves several perks, including a cell phone and entertainment allowances. When added to their handsome monthly salaries of over US$2000, the gap looks wider than ever before. Efforts to get a comment from the town clerk, Godfrey Tanyanyiwa, were fruitless.