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Innocent Ruwende Municipal Reporter—
Financially-hamstrung Harare City Council has started giving stands to its workers in lieu of salaries it owes them amounting to over $20 million. Council employees, some of whom are in five months’ arrears, have started receiving offer letters for stands in Eyestone Farm and Mabvuku. Harare has a workforce of around 9 000 employees.

According to the recent Education, Health, Housing and Community Services and Licensing Committee minutes, council resolved to allocate 2 000 serviced stands in Eyestone of Arlington Estate and 1 000 residential stands in Mabvuku to council employees in Grades five to 16.

The stands range from 300 to 1 000 square metres and are being sold at $20 per square metre.

“The committee had before it a report by the acting director of Housing and Social Development (Rtd Major Matthew Marara) on allocation of 2 000 serviced stands depicted on layout plan numbers TPY/ER/02 /16 in Eyestone of Arlington Estate and 1 000 depicted on layout plan number TPY/ER/ 01/ 16 in Mabvuku township to council employees in Grade 16-5 in the Harare Municipal Undertaking,” reads the minutes.

Last year, the city put three of its commercial and industrial stands through public tender in a bid to raise over $20 million. Harare has been struggling to pay workers’ salaries and provide basic services owing to low revenue and recently announced that it would set aside $275 000 daily towards salaries in a bid to reduce arrears of six months.

However, workers’ unions said the amount was not enough. The city is owed $500 million in unpaid bills by residents, Government and business.

Acting finance director Mr Tendai Kwenda has attributed the situation to the prevailing economic challenges, which are affecting most residents. Council workers last year urged Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Saviour Kasukuwere to intervene, accusing the city of infringing upon their rights.

Harare Municipal Workers’ Union executive chairman Mr Cosmas Bungu said council workers had been reduced to perpetual beggars surviving on handouts from well-wishers.

“We want to reiterate that the City of Harare is not above the law as their behaviour seems to suggest.

“In terms of the International Labour Organisation Convention Against Forced Labour, the city fathers are in flagrant contravention of the law by deliberately failing to pay council employees their outstanding salaries for the past six months and bonuses for 2015 in contravention of Statutory Instrument 135/ 12,” he said.