Council spends $7,5m on salaries monthly

via Council spends $7,5m on salaries monthly | The Herald February 13, 2015

Harare City Council gobbles more than $7,5 million monthly on salaries and allowances, excluding other perks, at the expense of service delivery.

The city gets between $9 million and US$12 million monthly in revenue but the bulk of the money goes towards salaries, leaving the balance for service delivery.

According to a schedule released by the Harare Residents Trust which has not been disputed by the city fathers, town clerk Dr Tendai Mahachi alone takes home $21 000 per month.

The city recently bought him two vehicles and he is also entitled to housing and cellphone allowances.

Dr Mahachi and his two deputies also get school fees assistance to a maximum of three children per year with each child receiving the equivalent of a month’s salary and allowances.

Those in grade two (six employees) earn $19 073,16 each, grade three (two employees) earn $13 622,50 each, while grade four (32 workers), earn $10 048,25 each.

Those in grade four are entitled to $18 000 school fees every year if they produce invoices and birth certificates for their children.

There is a sharp salary difference between grades one to four and the rest of the grades with those in grade five (28 workers) getting $2 778, 21 each.

The other grades earn between $472 and $2 300. HRT says the figures on the number of employees reflect the official figures after the rationalisation exercise.

HRT said before the exercise, there were 44 workers in Grade 4 but these had been reduced to 32 while there are now two employees in Grade Three from five.

“The HRT continues to investigate. Residents are not encouraged to pay what they cannot afford. The council is overpaying its senior management, just check the salary gap between the workers in Grade Four and Grade Five.

“This explains why the City of Harare cannot balance the incomes and expenditures. Most of the rates and rentals go into the pockets of employees. Mayor Ben Manyenyeni, residents cannot afford this extravagance in the council,” said HRT.

Mayor Manyenyeni said disclosure levels at Hown House were embarrassingly non-existent.

“Our management information systems are delinquent. For salaries, I have requested quotations for outsourcing the payroll administration to increase stakeholder trust and confidence in these brown envelope remunerations.

“Years back municipal posts were advertised in The Herald with actual salary and grade. It was public information,” he said.

Presenting the 2015 budget proposal last year, chairperson of the Finance and Development Committee councillor Tranos Moyo said the city’s performance in revenue collection was poor compared to last year. He said out of the new US$151 million target, the city would channel at least 48 percent towards employment costs, while about 52 percent was projected to fund service delivery programmes.

However, from the salary figures it is clear that a huge chunk of the revenue goes towards salaries.