admin
Trust Freddy
Herald Correspondent
Harare City Council’s executive assistant to the town clerk, Mr Matthew Marara, has disclosed that he earns a whopping US$12 000 per month, but calculated at the prevailing interbank rate.
This comes amid reports that the city was relying on a memory stick or flash to store financial records, with residents bearing the burden of a shambolic billing system plagued by double billing due to inadequate account systems. This follows the council’s abandonment of its high-end ERP system in March 2019.
Mr Marara disclosed his hefty salary while appearing before the Retired Justice Maphios Cheda-led Commission yesterday, where he faced questioning over his decision to rescind his alleged resignation in 2020 and return in 2023.
“My salary currently is US$12 000 paid at interbank rate. It is inclusive of salary, allowances, motor benefits, because I use my own vehicle,” said Mr Marara.
The salary issue arose after the Commission of Inquiry into Harare’s affairs since 2017, summoned Mr Marara to respond to reports that he received over US$350 000 in back pay.
He claimed this amount after discovering that his 2020 resignation letter was missing at Town House, 30 months later, leading to his return to work in 2023, asserting he had never resigned.
Mr Marara allegedly took advantage of the missing resignation letter, which had been sent via email, and subsequently demanded payment for the unworked period, which he reportedly received.
Leading evidence from witnesses before the Commission, Mr Thabani Mpofu, said information revealed Mr Marara actually received US$350 000.
However, Mr Marara refuted the claims.
“I never resigned from the council and that the council agreed to pay me US$131 000, with US$116 000 already paid out for the 30 months I was absent, not US$350 000 as reported.”
He further claimed that he only returned to work after the council passed a resolution to reinstate all suspended officials.
After Mr Marara began to appear evasive”, Mr Mpofu requested that the hearing be postponed to the following Tuesday for further questioning, a request that was granted by Justice Cheda.
“There is something that is ringing. When you asked me about the salary, what figure did I say?” Mr Marara said after Justice Cheda adjourned the session.
“It is not US$12 000. No, it is not correct,” he added.
Justice Cheda noted that he had already adjourned and stated that Mr Marara could clarify his salary next week if he had indeed made a mistake.
When contacted for comment, director of the Harare Residents’ Trust, Mr Precious Shumba, said: “The City of Harare is run by cartels that thrive on looting council’s financial resources. The award of that huge salary is in the hands of councillors who simply endorse whatever remuneration figures are thrown around by these corrupt and unproductive senior managers.”
He also criticised Mr Marara for allegedly awarding himself his current position.
“Marara awarded himself the position of executive assistant through a dubious job evaluation exercise. It is also very strange, but not shocking, that councillors in the Human Resources and General Purposes Committee have been involved, as individuals and as a collective, in the looting of council funds through their decisions.
“Marara and the council committee members should be held accountable for this deception,” said Mr Shumba.
The revelations from the commission are not new; the opposition-led Harare City Council was previously accused in 2013 of obstructing councillors’ efforts to obtain a full salary schedule detailing executive earnings.
Reports indicated that the city’s 15 heads of department and 49 managers were collectively earning over US$600 000 in salaries and allowances monthly.
Online Reporter