Kasukuwere calls for city audit

Source: Kasukuwere calls for city audit | The Herald November 11, 2016

Innocent Ruwende Municipal Reporter—-

Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Saviour Kasukuwere has ordered the City of Harare to carry out an audit of city companies and joint ventures under Sunshine Holdings after the City Parking board approached the High Court seeking to block an audit ordered by the ministry.

Minister Kasukuwere yesterday summoned councillors and read the riot act.

“We discussed a number of issues including looting allegations and the suspension of acting town clerk Mrs Josephine Ncube. We are studying the report on the allocation of a commercial stand to Mayor Bernard Manyenyeni among other issues.

“On the issue of acting town clerk, we told them that they should have fired all the directors instead of choosing one because the issue of salaries was done during the reign of former town clerk Dr Tendai Mahachi,” he said.

Minister Kasukuwere said councillors will be holding a meeting today to discuss the issues raised at the meeting.

“The City Parking audit should be carried out. We do not understand why people are blocking the audit using the court process,” he said.

Harare City Council last Friday suspended acting town clerk Mrs Josephine Ncube after an audit by the ministry revealed that council officials continued to earn obscene salaries after the Government directive to cut salaries.

Harare lawyer Mr Sternford Moyo, who is representing Mrs Ncube has since written to Mayor Manyenyeni informing him that his actions were unlawful, null, void and of no force and effect.

The letter was copied to Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Saviour Kasukuwere and permanent secretary Eng George Mlilo.

Yesterday Mrs Ncube reported for duty.

Mayor Manyenyeni yesterday said, “We are consulting over the matter.”

“You (Mayor Manyenyeni) are not the town clerk for the City of Harare. As a statutory authority, you are, as far as your functions and powers are concerned, a creature of statute. Consequently, to be valid at law, all your actions have to be within the four corners of the statutes namely, the Urban Councils Act.”

“You have purported to stray into the functional jurisdiction of the town clerk. You cannot do so. All your actions in that regard are, with due respect, unlawful, null, void and of no force and effect,” said Mr Moyo.

Mr Moyo said the allegations which constitute the gravamen of the lamentations of Mayor Manyenyeni’s letter of suspension were prior to July 2015.

He said the town clerk during that period was Dr Mahachi and levelling the allegations against Mrs Ncube was grossly unreasonable and entirely devoid of merit.

“As far as allegations purporting to arise after July 2015 are concerned, our client draws to your attention a directive from Government, conveyed through the Permanent Secretary, directing council to peg the town clerk’s salary at $10 475,75 and proportionately cascade that amount to other senior officers with immediate effect.”

“This directive was implemented in August 2015 and reported upon to Councils’ Human Resources Committee,” said Mr Moyo.

He denied that Mrs Ncube has not received any payment which was not in terms of her conditions of services as approved by council.