City boss, workers clash over water revenue

The workers accused the city of diverting the money to other uses.
The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Local Government chaired by Chimanimani West House of Assembly, Mrs Lynet Karenyi (MDC-T), had summoned the city management, councillors and the workers to clarify whether Harare indeed had a separate water account and if so, how it was being managed.
The workers alleged that the city fathers were diverting money for water, resulting in the perennial water problems.
They said the diversion also caused the delays in the payment of their salaries. The workers added that they had gone for two months without salaries.
In their submission, workers representatives led by Water Authority Workers Union vice president Mr Steward Nyandoro said in most instances the Harare Water bank account would be dry after the city fathers would have diverted the money to other uses.
He said this was in spite of the fact that the department was crucial.
Mr Nyandoro said the department received payments from Government and surrounding dormitory towns like Chitungwiza and Norton for water bills.
“There are times when we are slow in reacting to water complaints from customers because the finance manager would have gone to the bank and discovers that there is no money to address the water challenges.
“In most cases we don’t have money for operations or salaries and we sometimes get our salaries on the 18th of the next month,” he said.
Responding to the allegations, Dr Mahachi said he was hearing them for the first time. He said the water account had nothing when council resumed control of water management in Harare from Zinwa.
Dr Mahachi also gave a breakdown of money generated between November and December last year.
He said council received US$5 million in November and US$6 million in December.
Part of that money was used to buy water treatment chemicals (US$2 million), pay electricity bills (US$1 million) and US$2 million went towards salaries.
Dr Mahachi said council had consolidated the rates and water accounts into a holding account to avoid inconveniencing customers.
Previously consumers would have to join two different queues to pay water and rates bills.
The money, Dr Mahachi said, would be split with 55 percent going to the main account while the water account receives 45 percent.
“This information (accusations) is coming to me for the first time, my problem is that they (the workers) have not come to me. My door is always open and they never came to me,” Dr Mahachi said.
He said council sometimes experienced cash flow problems due to huge amounts owed to creditors.

Mr Nyandoro, however, accused management of taking their time in transferring money into the water account despite the urgent need.
He said council received US$8 million from Government for water bills but only US$4 million found its way into the water account.
This, Mr Nyandoro said, has seriously affected water supply in Harare.
He said resource constraints affected workers’ efforts to attend to problems such as burst pipes.
Mr Nyandoro said the late payment of salaries and late remittances of statutory dues such as medical aid and pension contributions had also demoralised workers.
Dr Mahachi said the US$8 million was a debt Government owed council.
“In fact I am the one who went to the Government and demanded payment. We are owed US$16 million, half of it in rates and the other in water and I told them to give us the money and I don’t mind in what order,” he said.
Dr Mahachi, however, declined to comment on the authenticity of a schedule shown to the committee by workers representatives on the inflow of money into the water account.
“I can’t say it’s correct or wrong until I have talked to the Harare Water finance manager.
“He is the one responsible for the day to day management and I only come in on policy issues,” he said.
Dr Mahachi enumerated the challenges being faced by council.
Acting finance committee chairperson Councillor Reseas Masunda (Ward 44) castigated the workers’ representatives for raising the issues in Parliament.
Mutoko East legislator Cde Ordo Nyakudanga (Zanu-PF) however admonished the city fathers against victimising workers.
He said the Parliamentary committee was trying to establish the truth.