Zimpapers Logo

Farirai Machivenyika Harare Bureau
The government has tasked the Local Government Board to come up with a remuneration structure for all 92 local authorities following the exposure of high salaries that some executives there were getting.This was said by Local, Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Dr Ignatius Chombo in Parliament yesterday.

“Government has made a decision that the Local Government Board should determine the salaries of all the CEOs of the 92 local authorities. These salaries will be based on the span of control the CEOs has, the budgets they are controlling, the number of employees, the size of the local authority and so on.

“Once this exercise is done this House will be informed what the new levels are,” he said.

Dr Chombo said the government was monitoring local authorities to ensure the bulk of revenues went to service delivery.
He said the $6,000 remuneration cap placed by the government was an interim measure as proper structures were established.

Several bosses at local authorities have been found to have earned mega packages as service delivery declined and ordinary workers went months without being paid.

Harare town clerk Dr Tendai Mahachi earned up to $37 000 while, also according to figures revealed by the Finance Ministry, the CEO of Plumtree Town Board took home $17,000.

Most of the executives awarded themselves low salaries and huge benefits, allegedly to evade paying taxes and to hide what they were really taking home.

The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority has said it will garnish accounts of all parastatals, local authorities and State enterprises found guilty of tax evasion.