Council  Hijacked…Workers’ cabal collects revenue, steers local authority Gweru Council workers stage a protest in this file photo
Gweru Council workers stage a protest in this file photo

Gweru Council workers stage a protest in this file photo

Midlands Bureau Chief
LOCAL Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister, Cde Saviour Kasukuwere, has given Gweru City Council a 10-day ultimatum to recruit qualified personnel.

The 10 days expire next week.

Gweru City Council is being run by a workers committee team popularly known as “Boko Haram,” which collects revenue and decides how the money is distributed.

Since the coming in of “Boko Haram”, middle managers have not been paid and are now owed six months salaries while 90 percent of revenue collected by the council is diverted to pay workers’ salaries.

This emerged during a special full council meeting on Friday.

Ward 16 councillor, Tawanda Magidi, said “Boko Haram” could not be allowed to run the affairs of the council when management and councillors were there.

He said it was saddening to note that middle management had gone for six months without salaries as the workers committee prioritised payment of their own salaries.

Clr Magidi said middle managers were also workers who had many responsibilities and should therefore be paid their salaries.

“We’re fed up with this workers’ committee known as ‘Boko Haram’ which is making it difficult for directors to do their work properly. Everything done by management, the workers’ committee wants to be involved and we must bring an end to this,” said Clr Magidi.

The mayor, Clr Hamutendi Kombayi, also said council was fed up with the workers committee which he accused of interfering in the running of council.

“The town clerk (Daniel Matawu) can’t even make a decision because he is now afraid of the workers committee,” said Clr Kombayi.

Matawu said he had called several meetings with the councillors to discuss the matter but unfortunately councillors were not attending such meetings.

“Boko Haram”, who are officially known as the Enhancement Committee, came in after the workers accused management of misusing revenue. The workers then accused management of paying themselves salaries while they went for months without being paid.

The Enhancement Committee has been collecting cash on behalf of the council, disconnecting water supplies to consumers to force them to clear their arrears at times without management approval.

Meanwhile, the full council meeting agreed that Matawu should start the process of recruiting the Chamber Secretary, Director of Engineering Services, Director of Housing and Community Services and Director of Health Services, in line with Cde Kasukuwere’s directive.

Out of the five directors employed by the city council, only Edgar Mwedzi, the Finance Director, is substantive.

Matawu said the local authority would soon advertise the posts.

Cde Kasukuwere said that the Provincial Administrator’s office should be involved in the recruitment of the directors.

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