Chitungwiza title deeds missing

by Charlotte Musarurwa and Melody Madzika

Chitungwiza Town Council is failing to secure bank loans to pay workers’ outstanding salaries after title deeds to properties that the council wanted to use as collateral went missing.

Town House is now in a flurry, with officials frantically searching for the deeds covering council-owned office buildings, beer halls, community halls and houses.

There is suspicion that the previous council led by Mayor Philemon Chipiyo misplaced them, though a proposal has been tabled to retrieve copies of some of the documents from the Deeds Office if the search proves futile.

Council sought US$25 million from banks to pay its 1 600-strong workforce which has gone for 16 months without full salaries. Around US$11 million is earmarked for salaries while the remainder will go towards infrastructure upgrades.

Senior municipal officials were shocked when they discovered the deeds were missing after a willing lender requested collateral.

Town Clerk Mr George Makunde said he does not know where the deeds are.

“Government gave us borrowing powers, but the only challenge is (the lack of) title deeds that we can use as collateral. We are sorting that out,” he said.

Chitungwiza municipal workers embarked on job action in July after council failed to pay them full salaries for over a year. Most workers are borrowing and vending to make ends meet, according to worker representatives.

The municipality has cited dire financial circumstances, saying it is getting less than US$1 million in monthly revenue against a US$1, 4 million wage bill.

It has also suspended 47 of the striking workers over “absenteeism and unbecoming behaviour” and workers in grade one to five have started receiving full salaries.

Zimbabwe Urban Council Workers’ Union Chitungwiza branch chair Reverend Ephraim Katsina said they intend to seek recourse through Parliament.

“We have decided to approach Parliament because we realised that striking is of no use. How are we supposed to feed our families without salaries?

“Employees now fear for their jobs because management is now employing victimisation tactics.”