adminNgonidzashe Chiutsi Sunday News Correspondent
THE Bulawayo town clerk is still getting a salary of US$9 000 amid claims by Bulawayo Mayor Councillor Martin Moyo that they were yet to get a formal directive from the Government to cut his salary.Last month, Government slashed the salaries of parastatals and local authority bosses to a maximum of $6 000 a month.
The Government said those in breach of the directive risked being severely punished.
However, on Thursday last week, Clr Moyo said they only heard of the issue through the Press and were yet to get a formal communication on the matter from Government.
“So far there is no directive from the ministry. What we have heard are rumblings in the Press and whether the Press heard it right or wrong we are not sure. We would accept a formal communication from the Government to say that this is what is supposed to be done,” said Clr Moyo at a meeting organised by a civic organisation.
He said when the directive comes they would deliberate and respond to it.
“When we receive it, obviously as city council we will look at it and respond to it the way we think. My view is when we give small salaries to the town clerks, they will pack and go. We don’t know what the figures we see in the Press are based on,” said the city mayor.
He said the $9 000 salary that the Bulawayo Town Clerk was getting was not too high.
“Our salary figures are quite reasonable and are testimony that things that are happening elsewhere are not happening here. The $9 000 that the Town Clerk is getting is not really a lot of money and we are talking here of a highly skilled person,” said the mayor, in a view which was supported by the former deputy mayor Clr Amen Mpofu.
Efforts to get a comment from Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa were fruitless last week. Minister Chinamasa chairs the Cabinet Committee on State Enterprises and Parastatals Development.
However, some of the residents who spoke at the highly charged meeting criticised the mayor and Clr Mpofu for justifying the town clerk’s “obscene” salary saying the salary revelations came at a time when service delivery in the city was poor.
Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) organising secretary Mr Ambrose Sibindi said there must be a balance between salary and service delivery.
“There must be a balance between the salary that the workers are getting and service delivery,” said Mr Sibindi.
He said they were expecting better services from city council in terms of water delivery, refuse collection and roads maintenance.
derick.khumalo