adminMr Tanyanyiwa was allegedly suspended last Wednesday during a council meeting to pave way into investigations on how funds meant for workers’ salaries disappeared.
But Mr Tanyanyiwa spent part of his day last Friday at Metropolitan and Kingdom Banks negotiating overdrafts to pay the council’s restless workers.
The workers have refused to report for duty despite agreeing to do so in a meeting with Local Government, Rural and Urban Development Minister Ignatius Chombo last week.
However, sources say some workers are willing to resume work but are being forced to stay away by political activists from both Zanu-PF and MDC-T, who have scores to settle with management.
Mr Tanyanyiwa was in the company of some council directors trying to secure money from the banks.
“I am at work. I am not aware of the suspension,” he said.
“As you can see, I am at work dealing with employees’ salaries.”
Secretary for Local Government, Rural and Urban Development Mr Killian Mpingo said the ministry was looking into the “appropriateness and timing of the suspension”.
He said the council should have given the team appointed by Minister Chombo time to investigate and make appropriate recommendations.
Mr Mpingo spent part of his day with the council senior officials, including Mr Tanyanyiwa, mapping the way forward with regards to the payment of the November and December salaries.
Chitungwiza Mayor Alderman Philimon Chipiyo confirmed Mr Tanyanyiwa’s suspension pending investigations, but said his council would not appoint an investigating team to look into allegations levelled against him.
He said he was seeking the best advice given that Minister Chombo last week appointed a six-member investigating committee to look into the same issues.
However, some councillors have distanced themselves from the alleged suspension saying there was no formal meeting to that effect.
Councillors Wendy Chiriri, Goodwill Mafuratidze and Clara Makwara said they were not aware of the suspension of Mr Tanyanyiwa.
“Council cannot fire the town clerk. They can only make a resolution and recommend to the Local Government Board, which appointed him in the first place,” said Clr Mafuratidze.
The investigating committee is headed by the ministry’s finance director Mr Stephen Hlatswayo, while the committee deputy Mr Alpha Nhamo was seconded to work with the Chitungwiza council indefinitely. The committee is expected to recommend the action that should be taken against the council officials and councillors that might be found on the wrong side of the law.
Asked whether any of the officials present had given the council advice on the action it was taking, Alderman Chipiyo said none of the officials made any contributions.
“My role was just to chair the meeting. I followed what the councillors advised,” Alderman Chipiyo said.
“Remember, we have not fired the town clerk. We have just suspended him.”
The council owes employees up to US$4,5 million in unpaid salaries and bonuses.
Minister Chombo last week said the committee he appointed would investigate allegations of mismanagement.
“They will also work to ensure that employees are paid,” he said.
Minister Chombo said the employees’ demands were in order as they simply wanted to be paid outstanding salaries.
Online Reporter