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Innocent Ruwende Municipal Reporter
Harare City Council has rescinded a decision by the Kurasha Commission of 2005 and 2008 that empowered the town clerk to review allowances for executive managers.

This comes after a special audit report revealed council officials had defied a Government directive to cut executives’ salaries in 2015.

The audit was instigated by the Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Ministry.

Councillors also resolved to remove on-call allowances for all non-medical executive staff and that the human resources and general purposes committee overhauls all the benefits for executive managers in line with the ministry’s 40:60 percent salary and service delivery ratio.

“On holiday and contact leave allowances, the committee resolved that there is need to prove or substantiate expenditure for attendance at such holidays. That the human resources and general purposes committee reviews the issues of the holiday and contact leave allowances and establish whether it is still necessary or not,” reads the minutes of the audit committee.

“That the policy which allows the grossing up of allowances be availed to the committee and that council should stop the grossing up of allowances.”

On school fees allowances, council resolved that invoices for payment of school fees must be produced to prove expenditure of same and that the human resources committee urgently reviews the school fees policy to be in tandem with the 40:60 percent ratio and the level at which school fees should be paid.

The councillors also want the policy on school fees to have a cap and that fees support be restricted to Zimbabwe.

“Should one decide to send a child abroad above the cap, the employee should meet the difference and schools fees should be paid in school accounts and not personal accounts, the committee said.

Car benefits must be through proper council procurement and money in ring-fenced accounts must not be withdrawn for other purposes.

“Taking money from ring-fenced account means that the money has been abused and it is unprocedural.

“In future all retrenchment packages must be approved by council first before implementation and the concept of buying out staff should stop forthwith.”

The council also resolved that the city merges all payrolls into one by end of this month.

The audit report revealed city managers continued to earn salaries above the $10 450 cap for the highest earner stipulated by the Government.