via Gvt slashes salaries of town clerks Sunday, 15 December 2013 by Tinashe Farawo
Government has slashed salaries and benefits of town clerks and chairpersons of local authorities by 50 percent and ordered them to submit performance contracts by December 31. Those who fail to meet their targets will be fired, warned Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Dr Ignatius Chombo.
Some municipal bosses are earning more than US$16 000 a month while employees are going for months without salaries.
The outrageous salaries drawn from the cash-strapped councils are in sharp contrast with the unabated decline in service delivery as most municipalities struggle to provide reliable water and sewer reticulation systems.
Dr Chombo told The Sunday Mail that salaries of senior management at local authorities were a scandal.
He then put a salary cap for town clerks at not more than US$8 000 including allowances before indicating the salaries would be made public in January next year.
“What is so special about the salaries of those people? If the public knows about President Mugabe’s salary why is it that local authorities are not telling residents how much they are earning through salaries and allowances?
“I have directed that their salaries, which should not be more than US$8 000 including allowances, be made public,” said Cde Chombo.
In accordance with a directive on performance contracts, he said Government has adopted the Integrated Results -Based Management (IRBM) system and council bosses should submit their performance contract by 31 December to the ministry.
“The roll out of IRBM to local authorities has commenced and will be consummated beginning 2014. To this end I hereby direct, in terms of Section 155 of the Rural District Councils Act and Section 313 of the Urban Councils Act that all town clerks, secretaries, chief executive officers and heads of department will draw up and sign a performance contract according to Zim Asset’s (Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation) key result areas for the managers and a copy of performance contracts should be lodged with ministry by December 31,” reads part of the letter dispatched to all the country’s 92 local authorities.
Minister Chombo warned that it was not “business as usual” as he urged local authorities to embrace the Government priorities as encapsulated in the country’s economic blueprintt, Zim Asset.
“In order to ensure that every level of Government is accountable for the achievement of the targets set in the economic blueprint, performance contracts will be introduced at all senior management levels in the public sector,” he said.
Dr Chombo noted that the targets need to be measurable and practical.
“What we are saying is let the heads of departments say by end of 2014, 20 percent of households in Harare will be receiving water every day. If the director of water fails he is gone because we cannot pay people for failure, they must bring achievable targets because we are going to provide the resources for key result areas enunciated in Zim Asset,” he said.
“Councils need to pass resolutions which are funded because when we are going to asses those resolutions, no one will say there was no money.”
COMMENTS
happy xmass box kumz ZIMBOS OSE.GOD BLESS OUR COUNTRY AND OUR PEOPLE
We should also do away with expensive cars for ministers eg range rovers
what a joke!!!
IS THE PARTY OVER OR IS THIS MERE WINDOW DRESSING AGAIN?
I am prepared to give the minister a new start provided he is now serious about the whole issue. These heads of departments have had it easy for so many years at the expense of the masses.Its high time to implement performance related employment for these lazy crooks who have been cheating us for many years with the blessing of the parent ministry.As I stated before on economy related topics that we should wait and see what will happen because you cannot fool around with economy and think life will go on as usual.It is a clear known factor that governments fall down due to economy,therefore these local governments departmental heads will fall down one by one unless they change their attitudes of looting without compassion.My street has not had lights for the past 10 years whilst every month I pay rates to enrich these unscrupulous workers who have no respect for public resources. They get new cars every 5 years as a result some families have more than 4 cars of various makes whilst the public suffer with zero services.SHAME ON THEM.START WORKING FOR YOUR SALARIES BEFORE YOU LEAVE WITH NOTHING.
God bless yu honourable chombo for this turnaround strategy in councils.ko nhai vachombo low income housing cooperative munoizivawo here ha tabaikana nekudyirwa cash without any dvp.tibatsireiwo
Is this the first time he has known it?
Personally I do not like Chombo, but he is on target in this matter. Let us congratulate and support. In fact we should thank Jonathan ala Muchechetere for exposing the reason behind our problems.
1) All salaries drawn from taxes should be made public. Start with that of lowly drivers and cleaners all the way up to the president.
2) As far as pay is concerned,the lowest people in the company or department should be paid first and management last.
Dont celebrate yet, This is a public relations exercise for the government reeling from one major scandal to another, zbc, cocto, zupco,zmdc, nrz,airzim. to name but a few.
This is how our country is being run down. such performance based contracts shld have started on so called ministers like chombo and co. what has he done that warants his long tenure as minister. he has bred corruption by sheilding corrupt fired councilors frm mdc t. by acquiring wealth beyond ones earnings and resources is corruption.
I have no trust with the messnger of the gospel, chibata kumeso.hot air
why dont they look at the NRZwhere workers have gone for 18 months without pay We dont want neo slavery in an independent Zimbabwe
the country has really gone to the DOGS