adminmanagers when each received US$700 without ministerial approval in allowances to attend a meeting almost on the border of the town.
The councillors are also accused of allocating themselves stands.
According to the internal audit report the council organised a team-building workshop at Tree of Life Adventures which almost borders the town to the north. The workshop that ran from January 31 to February 3 this year was attended by nine councillors and 12 managers.
According to the audit the councillors and managers were each paid holiday allowances but there were no supporting documents on the vouchers showing how the allowances were calculated.
The vouchers were signed and passed for payment.
“Councillors were paid US$700 each including US$115 for travel and subsistence allowances. The difference of US$585 was paid as holiday allowances. There is no proof to confirm approval by the minister,” the audit report stated.
The Ministry of Local Government and Urban Development last year issued a directive to local authorities not to pay councillors allowances over and above those approved. It is also stated in the audit report that an additional US$2 940 was paid to Tree of Life Adventure covering meals and accommodation for all participants during the workshop.
“On top of council having paid the travel and subsistence allowances, management paid individuals who attended the workshop US$115 for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” the report further read.
Nine board members were overpaid by US$1 035 and the money had been already paid to Tree of Life Adventures. According to the audit report, council had already paid for breakfast, lunch and dinner but 12 managers were paid US$115 each as allowances.
“This therefore means that each manager was overpaid by US$115. Out of the 12 managers a Mr Madzivire joined the team on Wednesday 2 February and was paid an unconfirmed amount which is around US$350. There is no proof of change receipted,” said the report.
The audit further stated that Ruwa council management pointed that it had resolved to give five percent of annual gross salary as holiday allowances.
“However, if the said resolution was ethically implemented there was no need to pay the US$115 to each member as allowances but to pay the amount resolved. The minister has directed councils to seek approval of any increase in allowances from the minister before implementation of the resolution. The holiday allowances were not approved as is required,” the audit said.
Since council had already paid all meals and accommodation, the beneficiaries should have received only US$150, the report said.
“If any employee or councillor attends a workshop, one should be given travel and subsistence allowances as opposed to holiday allowances,” the audit report said.
The audit has also exposed some of the councillors (names supplied) who have allocated themselves stands ahead of deserving home seekers who have been on the housing waiting list for years.
The councillors are accused of having breached the council’s procedure on allocation of stands, which is based on the waiting list adopted by the local authority on a first come first serve basis.
“There was a departure on stands 3009, 2996, 5218, 3606, 3601, 5205, 3735 and 3184 from allocating stands to proposed beneficiaries by management as submitted by the Housing Committee which then allocated to beneficiaries other than the proposed persons,” the audit said.
Bongani Ndlovu