via Council blows $30,000 on workshop | The Zimbabwean 9 July 2014 by Thabani Dube
Harare City Council resolved at a recent meeting to spend $30,000 on sending a few individuals to workshops. At the same meeting councillors heard that employees in grades six and above, most of whom earn less than $300, had gone for two months without pay.
Recent human resources and general purposes committee minutes show that the human capital director and five employees will gobble $12,190 in out-of-pocket allowances, conference fees and airfares to attend the Institute of People Management’s annual convention and exhibition from July 9 to 12.
Later in the month, seven dental therapists in the city’s health department will spend $5,306 on transport and other allowances to attend a professional development workshop. The dental manager will use $2,030 to attend the Zimbabwe Dental Association annual general meeting at Elephant Hills Hotel in Victoria Falls from August 8 to 12.
The minutes further reveal that councillors resolved that the corporate services director, the legal manager and six legal officers in her department should attend the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Lawyers Association’s conference in Victoria Falls from August 22 to 23 at a cost of $10,492 in allowances, fees and airfares.
In March this year council passed a resolution to downsize its workforce from 9,000 to 6,500 as it battled to pay wages and salaries.
COMMENTS
Every Zimbo official, no matter how small in rank, absolutely loves a conference / workshop. See the plates piled high and the bar emptied!! It’s a priority, not the roads, water, street lighting or housing for the poor.
They must stay in posh hotels like Bob and not a bed and breakfast and gobble as much food as they can at the expense of the taxpayer and probably take a relative along
They just figured if they can’t get this money as bloated out salaries they might as well concort some elaborate seemingly people orientated scheme to get to the honey pot.
The human capital director even boosts that this is 16th job in 30 yrs ie he has on average been at a post for 2yrs.city fathers get rid of this rat.
In the past the NGO’s and foreign grants paid for all of this. When your president and government are thieves it all stops.