The revelation comes hardly a week after the local
authority announced that it is failing to pay workers’ salaries due to a tight
financial situation.
Reports reaching NewsDay over the weekend indicated that 12
councillors in the finance committee attended a two-day workshop in Kadoma,
where they pocketed ZWL$4 million (US$800) each last week.
The amount is reportedly twice the normal daily allowance
of US$200.
Another two-day workshop was held in the same mining town,
where a similar number of councillors in the information and publicity
committee took part.
Reports from Town House also indicated that the councillors
have spiritedly been pushing to attend committee meetings even when they are
not members.
A source, who attended one of the meetings in Kadoma,
confided in NewsDay that workshops where hefty allowances are claimed have become
cash cows for councillors.
“Councillors who attended the Kadoma workshop on finance
pocketed ZWL$4 million each which is almost US$800 and this is not normal,” he
said
“Some of the councillors have been insisting on attending
several committee workshops and they want to pass that resolution.”
The Harare City Council has 10 committees with 12 members
each and it is likely to spend close to US$200 000 on these scheduled meetings.
If a councillor attends 10 twoday workshops a month, they
will pocket almost US$8 000.
The revelation comes barely a week after Harare town clerk
Hosea Chisango indicated that council had for the first time in several years
failed to pay its workers.
In an interview yesterday, Chisango confirmed the Kadoma
workshops, but said he was not aware of the figures mentioned by the council
sources.
“When councillors attend workshops, they have standard
allowances they get, but on the Kadoma workshop, I am not aware of the
figures,” he said without giving further details.
Combined Harare Residents Association acting director
Reuben Akili said Harare City Council should prioritise service delivery and
not workshops.
“It’s just a matter of priority. Yes, induction workshops
are important, but there should be a balance. When they (councillors) give
themselves hefty allowances at the expense of service delivery, then it becomes
a problem,” he said.
Harare Residents Trust Association executive director
Precious Shumba yesterday said he hoped the newly-elected mayor Ian Makone would
cut down on unnecessary expenditure.
“The City of Harare is an extravagant institution where
policymakers lack an appreciation of the citizens. Holding too many induction
workshops outside the capital is evidence that they have failed to improve the city’s
community halls, which should be enough venues for workshops,” Shumba said.
“We hope that the mayor will cut down on unfruitful
expenditures. While inductions are necessary, they must not be the excuse to
lavish each other with unsustainable allowances. More resources should go
towards installation of a new billing system for Harare.”
The hefty allowances come as Harare is facing an acute
water crisis, among other service delivery problems.
Service delivery has also been a thorn in the flesh for the
city fathers, with the central government attacking urban councils for failing
to deliver on their mandate to ratepayers.
Harare Metropolitan Provincial Affairs and Devolution
secretary Tafadzwa Muguti recently threatened to introduce commissions in urban
councils which fail to deliver on their mandate.
Muguti has promised to clamp down on councils which are
awarding themselves hefty allowances at the expense of service delivery.
“So you would rather do one workshop for three days than a
scenario where today you are in Kariba and tomorrow you are in Masvingo,” he
said during the swearing-in ceremony of Chitungwiza councillors last week. Newsday
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