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Blessings Chidakwa Municipal Reporter
Top officials of Harare City Council suspended over alleged corruption-related charges are receiving full pay and benefits while at home two years after suspension, as council continues delaying in concluding labour cases.
This generally means two sets of pay and benefits, one for the officials sitting at home and one for those now acting in their positions.
The ratepayers are the ones bearing the brunt of paying double salaries and a host of benefits for same posts, among the benefits are allowances for things such as holiday outside the country, fuel, entertainment, airtime, refreshments, public relations and responsibility.
All top managers in the top three grades were suspended and then subsequently sent on forced leave except for health services director Dr Prosper Chonzi and director of Works Engineer Phakamile Moyo.
Town Clerk Engineer Hosiah Chisango, Mr Stanely Ndemera (finance director), Mr Addmore Nhekairo (housing director), Eng Zvenyika Chawatama (works director), Charles Kandemiri (chamber secretary) and Dr Cainos Chingombe (human and capital development manager) are all receiving salaries and benefits from home.
While some had criminal cases that were cleared at the courts, internal investigations at Harare City Council have been dragging for ages, with the council yet to finalise even a single case.
Harare Residents Trust director Mr Precious Shumba yesterday councillors had largely been compromised and had no willpower to act .
“It is widely believed that they are making the council officials in acting capacities to do their dirty work, thus reluctant to have the managers in acting capacities removed,” he said.
“This is partly the reason why they are not pushing to have substantive directors in the City of Harare.”
Mr Shumba said the Human Capital department was the most incompetent structure of the City of Harare having delayed the disciplinary investigations and hearings.
“Some of the workers and councillors have revealed that council workers are evaluated not based on their performance contracts but on their willingness to be tools in the hands of councillors who seek to recruit their party activists and relatives who have inadequate academic and professional qualifications to be recruited by the council,” he said.
City spokesperson Mr Innocent Ruwende yesterday said the officials were suspended without pay, but only for two weeks as required by the law, which was lifted after it lapsed and were sent on paid leave since investigations to their various cases had not been completed.
“Council has since completed investigations and their disciplinary hearings are at various stages of completion,” he said.
This publication has it on good record that the council has been taking a lackadaisical approach on at least 40 cases involving senior and middle managers that have been fully investigated by the Harare Municipal Police.
A clear sign of laxity by council is the case involving Mr Nhekairo, who was among the first directors to be put on suspension in August 2019 and since then the council is yet to finalise his disciplinary hearing.
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