Already the ministry has set up a committee led by Deputy Minister of Local Government, Sesel Zvidzai, to look into the salary bills of the local authorities. The aim of the exercise is to ascertain whether the authorities are compliant with the government directive that only 30 per cent of revenue is for salaries while 70 per cent goes to service delivery.
“In our investigations, we have discovered that 80 per cent of revenue that is collected by local councils goes to salaries. This a major challenge and we are going to look into the Labour Act before we cut the salaries. But I can confirm now that the salaries will be cut,” said Zvidzai.
The Deputy Minister refused to be drawn into revealing how much local authorities were giving to top council employees such as the town clerk and engineers.
Sources privy to the on going investigation, however, told this paper that
some town clerks in major cities were earning as much as US$20, 000 per month.
Service delivery in most of Zimbabwe’s towns has been far from satisfactory. The roads are in bad shape and refuse has been piling up on the streets uncollected.
“We are going to effect the 70 per cent (for salaries) rule so that money does not go into paying salaries for workers but to service delivery which has been compromised, concluded Zvidzai.
Post published in: News