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12 months.
Thereafter, they will pay rentals.

But, some workers criticised the move saying it will benefit a few at the expense of those who have served for less than 20 years.
Rufaro Workers’ Union says it will stage another demonstration next week to contest the move.
The union said workers were allocated loss-making beerhalls, while the cash cows were leased out to TN Holdings.

Minister Chombo reinforced the liquor utility’s argument that the business was no longer viable.
He said Government respected the decision by council and the Rufaro Marketing board headed by Mr Philip Mataranyika.
“We will respect the decision of council on Rufaro Marketing.

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“Council is free to do what it is doing so long as it is in the interest of the city,” he said.
On the fate of the workers, Minister Chombo said Rufaro Marketing management will have to pay them severance packages in accordance with labour laws.
He said Mr Mataranyika and the workers met him separately to make their presentations. Minister Chombo said he was organising stakeholder meetings that will bring the board, Harare Mayor

Muchadeyi Masunda and the workers together to iron out differences.
Rufaro Marketing employees on Thursday demonstrated against Mr Mataranyika and demanded his resignation over the decision to lease out loss-making beerhalls.

Minister Chombo made the remarks yesterday when he addressed journalists on his ministry’s performance this year.
He commended several local authorities that include Harare, Plumtree, Epworth, Zvimba, Mutare RDC, Chipinge RDC, Chegutu and Gwanda municipalities for embarking on “robust recapitalisation” programmes.

He said the council used internal resources to fund the recapitalisation.
“I therefore wish to commend the local authorities concerned for their positive focus and responsiveness to the needs of their residents,” he said.
He said most local authorities had made improvements in road, water and sewer management.

He said local authorities should brace for the challenges that come with full funding of the procurement of water treatment chemicals from March next year when Unicef discontinues its support.
He said councils had been given ample time to prepare for the pullout and should therefore not be found wanting.
Of the US$72 million given to local authorities for recapitalisation under the public sector investment programme, only US$17,6 million has been disbursed with urban councils getting US$15,4 million and rural councils getting US$2,1 million.

He said the disbursement was heavily skewed in favour of urban councils, which have only 30 percent of the national population.
Minister Chombo said most councils were fully staffed with only three urban councils without substantive town clerks and eight without chief executive officers.

Zimbabwe has 91 local authorities.
On the 2012 budgets, he singled out Harare and Bulawayo as the worst performers but did not elaborate.
He said to date 23 councils have submitted their budgets for approval.
Minister Chombo said efforts to amend the Urban Councils Act were an exercise in futility as his Ministry had already embarked on a legislative reform to come up with a single Local Government Act.

He said efforts by sections of the MDC in the House of Assembly were “narrow in focus and scope” as they were aimed at stripping power from a particular Minister.
He said if legislators were serious, then the same should happen with every other ministry. He said the proposed changes were meant to strip him of his powers as Local Government minister.

The minister said district administrators will soon be processing liquor licences at district level as to decentralise local governance.