President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s much-hyped rehabilitation of
Mbare flats is proving to be hot air after the company contracted by government
and the Harare City Council to do the rehabilitation, FCG Singapore, ceased
operations a month ago, NewsDay has learnt.
Mnangagwa recently commissioned a newly-repainted block at
Matapi Flats.
But the workers claim they are owed money by the contractor
and work has since ceased soon after Mnangagwa’s visit amid pomp and fanfare.
“We ceased painting in mid-May, there is no any activity
here. There are no buckets of paint for us to use. The government is being
deceived. Officials are sitting there in their offices thinking work is going
on, but we are spending the whole day seated. There is no progress,” one of the
employees said.
The workers claim they were made to work without protective
clothes and have not been paid their salaries for April and May, adding they
work without contracts.
NewsDay understands that FCG Singapore had employed about
20 people on site, 11 of whom are painters, while the rest are assistants.
“We told the manager that we have been in the construction
industry for some time and it was a norm to have a contract agreement, which he
denied us. We further asked him for our pay day and he promised that we would
get our salaries every first day of the month. What we want now is just our
money. We have families to look after,” he said.
When NewsDay visited Matapi Flats recently, there was no
work going on.
A woman, who was employed to do the cleaning during the
preparations for Mnangagwa, who wanted to commission the flats, said she had
not been paid her money amounting to ZWL$100.
Another woman, who runs a food outlet in Mbare, told
NewsDay that FCG Singapore owed her close to ZWL$300 and she was appealing to
the company to pay her.
“I was the one providing meals for these employees. FCG
Singapore has not paid me for nearly three weeks now and the money has been
eroded by inflation currently ravaging the economy. I used to sell ZWL$3 a
plate, but the amount has doubled up now. They have to pay me equivalent to
today’s rates,” she said.
FCG Singapore chairperson Gabrielle Arezio told NewsDay
that he would follow up with the company’s accounting department.
“I am following up on that matter. We were instructed to
work on the plumbing systems. When the President visited Matapi Flats, he told
us to repair the toilets and the bathrooms. These are in a bad state. We are
currently sourcing materials. After that, we will continue with the exterior
and interior paintings.”
FCG managing director Francis Mambo said the employees had
not been paid for the month of May only.
“Everyone was paid for all these months, except for one
month, which is May. People must also consider that it is charity work that we
are doing and some companies do not pay for such, but we are paying,” he said.
“We were directed to concentrate more on the sewer systems.
If you visit Matapi you can see that the exterior is beautiful but the sewage
system is bad. It is bursting. So, we had to work on that. By next week we
should be completing another block.” Newsday
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