via 18 Town House bosses gobble $500k monthly – NewsDay Zimbabwe January 28, 2014 by Moses Matenga
HARARE Town Clerk Tendai Mahachi and his 18-member management team at Town House are gobbling close to $500 000 in monthly salaries, NewsDay has learnt.
According to a December 2013 Harare City Council salary schedule shown to NewsDay yesterday, Mahachi’s take home stands at $37 642 with seven other top managers including city director of water engineering Christopher Zvobgo earning $36 999 per month.
The schedule was signed by Town House top three officials Mahachi; Finance director Cosmas Zvikaramba and Human Capital director Cainos Chingombe before it was sent to a local bank (named).
The shocking revelations of salaries of Town House managers came at a time service delivery was at an all-time low and when government has threatened to deal with obscene salaries earned by bosses of different parastatals and local authorities.
The December 11 2013 salary schedule also stated that City Treasurer Misheck Mubvumbi, Human Capital director Cainos Chingombe, Cosmos Zvikaramba (Finance), Psychology Chiwanga (Urban Planning); Phillip Pfukwa (Engineering) and Justin Chivavaya (Housing and Community Services) earn a cool $36 999 each.
Another top council official Chibanda Dombo and Chamber Secretary Josephine Ncube are each earning $34 299 while Prosper Chonzi (Health) is getting $33 413.
In the salary schedule, Richard Chinengundu, who recently rejoined Town House as Public Safety director got $2 470 while Masasi Booker a senior officer in the Town Clerk’s office got $8 200.
Council spokesperson Leslie Gwindi is earning $15 204, while other middle managers earn between $12 567 and $17 251 each per month.
These include James Chiyangwa (Housing deputy director); Godfrey Kusangaya (Harare Water manager); Tendai Kwenda; Vumisani Sithole and Stewart Mungofa.
Informed sources said the salaries deposited at a local financial institution under batch number 000021 excluded hefty allowances the executives were getting.
The latest development came at a time councillors at Town House have been battling without success to access the executives’ salary structure.
It also came at a time workers from the Water Department have not been paid since November last year.
The name of the bank into which the salaries were deposited is given and so is the account number.
Local Government minister Ignatius Chombo last week, told NewsDay that he would not approve the council’s 2014 proposed budget until he has had sight of the executive’s salary schedule.
“I am yet to get a report (on salaries), but I sent a team to work on that. By Monday (yesterday), I will have reports for Harare, Bulawayo and Chitungwiza. If we don’t get that then we will not approve the (councils’) budget because we want to link it to that,” Chombo said.
“We want them well paid, but we don’t want obscene salaries for them. They should also sign 12-month long contracts to perform certain functions. They will be performance-based and if they fail, there won’t be any reason to renew their contracts and keep them.
You can’t give them big contracts to sit on their laurels for long.”
Contacted for comment, sources at the bank said executive accounts were handled at a very senior level and, therefore, not accessible to members of staff.
Harare mayor Bernard Manyenyeni recently tried in vain to get the salaries schedule from Mahachi who reportedly continuously gave excuses.
The latest exposé is likely to brew a storm at Town House and with the general public as it coincided with the disclosure of other obscene salaries by executives at other public institutions such as the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) and Premier Service Medical Aid Society (PSMAS).
Deputy Information minister Supa Mandiwanzira recently told the Press that ZBC chief executive officer Happison Muchechetere, currently on suspension pending a forensic audit of the institution, was drawing a salary of $40 000 from the ailing parastatal.
Former ZBC board chairman and PSMAS boss Cuthbert Dube was last week said to be earning about $230 000 from the heavily-indebted medical aid society.
At the time of going to print last night, both Chombo and Manyenyeni could not be reached for comment.
COMMENTS
This is truly obscene. I live in North America and the average civil servant makes approx $70000 per year. Doctors and engineers between $150K to $250K per annum and are taxed HEAVILY. It blows my mind to think of average Joes in Zimbabwe making an average of $30k per month which equates to $360k per year !! It makes no sense. Who the hell is managing that country??
A bunch of thieves known as ZANU PF, they are same group of thieves that rigged the election last year. They are also the same group of thieves who orchestrated the theft of the farms and now the theft of the commercial and industrial companies. The leader of this gang of thieves is Robert Mugabe.
Ignatious Chombo has to answer for this. He is not corrupt is he?
Are these Zanoids?
These dead beats could not even hold jobs in the private sector
This explains why this regime is still in power. You have a group of people who cannot afford to have a change of government then risk being exposed. They would rather have the population starve while they enjoy.
Surely these are not US Dollars. Where in Africa or world can a Director of Works for a run down city be earning $36000 per month!! Or even paying Lesley Gwindi $15000 per month. This is stupid corruption! My foot!!
Sadly – these really ARE US $’s. And this is while the “workers” have not been paid their measly salaries of a couple of hundred dollars for months. So much for the peoples government !!
Look at the state of the city. What are these cash cows doing during the day? Not working for the city that I can assure you. No wonder our rates are so damn expensive!!!
City of Harare commercial rates are 2.5% of the assessed property value. Johannesburg rates are 1%. But which city has better service delivery? The city officials are legally responsible to the Ministry of Local Government and not to the Mayor or the elected councillors.
Its getting harder and harder to tell which city has the best service delivery. But then the ANC under Jacob Zuma is becoming more and more like ZANU PF, they are nothing more than kleptomaniacs.
Why do you think we have NO WATER and POTHOLED ROADS ? Because all the money goes to these corrupt thieves. Well done you moronic ZANUPF ar$%soles
They earn these obscene salaries while our streets decay, suburbs go without water for years and hospitals for the poor are in a terrible state. A spirit of greed has overtaken those in public office. No nation with people like these leading us and governing us can survive.
I really dont know where Zimbabwe is getting this idea of huge salaries. Are we still thinking in Zimbabwe Dollars? Do we really appreciate and value the US$. I totally agree with Jim Kelly about salaries in North America where the US$ is minted. $70k is average for senior civil servants and most managers in commerce and industry. Obama makes about $400K as president of the world’s largest economy and who does he rub shoulders with in Zimbabwe; the management team at Harare City Town house. I cant believe it. These guys earn more than the Chairman of the Federal Reserve of the USA…wow. Hatina kwatiri kuenda at this rate, period.
Are these Zanoids?
We are all fools are we not. As one of my co workers said to me this morning: we are angry but what do we do about it? Nothing! Where is the man who will stand up and lead this nation. ZPF have brought death to this nation and most of us have climbed on the band wagon with greed, corruption, bribery, lies and all the sin that brings a curse upon our house and God’s judgment on our heads. We must examine our own lives and ask: Am I a part of my nations destruction.” No repentance! no restoration!
We should stand firm against all these looters who have no shame.Most of these people claim to be Christians when they are fakes with no compassion at all.
I salute you Mr Matenga for releasing the salaries list for these useless looters who have turned Harare City to shambles.When you complain about services they give you foolish explanations.What kind of a capital city survives without running water for places like Highlands for more than 4 years,whilst these looters get such unrealistic salaries.
Please Mr Matenga get the list of their allowances,this list will shock the masses more,maybe it will make our government to act decisively.We all know that these people have been allocating themselves huge perks including vehicles every few years.
I urge the public to check their water bills and rates for deliberate accounting errors meant to collect unwarranted funds.I spotted mine and I refused to pay the rest until the bill was rectified.My countrymen be careful with these looters,please watch your bills statements closely.Pay for what you have used not for false bills.
Zingizi, I am surprised by your question “are they Zanoids?” unless you were being sardonic. They are bound to be Zanoids. How else would they get these positions? not by being MDC that’s for sure. That’s what happens when you have 40years of corrupt government. Thinking about it that’s 40yrs X 500,000 X 12 dollars this one administration has robbed from the Country. I’ll bet you similar has been happening at every municipality across Zimbabwe. Crazy is not the word for it – pure criminality is nearer the mark.
I suspect these guys also pay protection fees (chioko muhomwe) to the minister. This will go nowhere. We are in Zanuland. It will all be blamed on Rhodesia, the west and sunctions
“They are bound to be Zanoids. How else would they get these positions? not by being MDC that’s for sure.”
However, the past few years have shown that MDC people will put their snouts in the trough just the same, if they get the chance.
I think it is partly a reaction to childhood poverty.
And all we preach is peace while this happens right b4 our eyes
Zimboz r trully the biggest joke pple on planet earth..no wonder why wen xenophobia happens in SA zimboz r the ones targeted mainly coz tiri magwara and love “peace” too much
This not so new as i remember this matter being raised during ‘Much’ Muchedeyi’s term as mayor & he did nothing much about it either. I suggest that we revert to withholding our rates with immediate effect – I for one will start doing that. Lets have some leadership from HRT & CHRA as to what we as residents should do.
All this is blessed by Robert mugabe
Just amazing to me, how a few can hold millions of starving people hostage. Get a back bone Zimbabweans !
SAD !!!!!
Aya ndiwo anonzi manyama amire nerongo. Corruption started right at the top and if we are to successfully rid ourselves of this scourge, let us start from the top, I mean at government level. ZANU PF is the mastermind behind all the corruption in the country. They rigged the last elections and no one complained about this theft of the vote. So, those below took it as a license to corruption. The salarygate scandal must also prob government ministries. I am sure they are also guilty of the same offense.
So far the public has exposed the parastatals enough to warrant suspension of the culprits pending investigation and arrest. But who will arrest them when the law enforcers are suspects in the corruption game. Look at the number of roadblocks motorists went threw sometime in 2013 and the spot fines collected. I suppose the way forward with this issue is by way of citizen arrest. Those found guilty must pay back whatever they would have stolen from the nation of Zimbabwe.
No wonder why diamonds have not helped the economy. Now we know where the diamonds money is going to. Is it sanctions driving parastatals into corrupt activities like salarygate?
Izvi zvanyanya vanhuwe.