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Munyaradzi Musiiwa and Blessings Chidakwa
The job evaluation recently conducted at Gweru City Council has exposed corruption by MDC-T councillors, who unjustifiably approved salary increments while appointing under-qualified managers, The Herald has learnt. It is understood that the misnomer was rampant under the stewardship of the now jettisoned former Gweru City mayor Councillor Hamutendi Kombayi in 2013, soon after his appointment.

Gweru City Council went on a massive recruitment of unskilled and semi-skilled workers believed to be inclined to MDC-T. Following the job evaluation, the local authority is now pushing to lay off 500 employees who have become a liability. Gweru Town Clerk Ms Elizabeth Gwatipedza confirmed that council noticed that there were some unjustifiable promotions of nurses to senior positions by the city officials.

Ms Gwatipedza said this happened starting 2013 soon after the election of a new council when nurses were promoted to senior posts without justification. This was followed by massive recruitment of employees, raising suspicion that the appointments and recruitment were done for partisan ends. Ms Gwatipedza said it was also established that the salary of a council general nurse was three times more than a nurse working in Government.

“In 2013, council assumed that things were going to be better and they had a 35 percent salary increment for employees. They promoted nurses three to four grades high. A job evaluation exercise being carried out revealed that our nurses are actually earning thrice if not even four times salaries than their counterparts in Government,” she said.

Ms Gwatipedza said the local authority would soon embark on a salary restructuring exercise after consultations with the workers to create space for service delivery. She said service delivery was being weighed down by council’s huge wage bill.

“Our workers approached us over the proposed 500 job cuts, but that is not the only way to manage our huge wage bill as there are various ways to do it, among them we can liaise with workers and reduce salaries for all of them to save job losses. Of course, some are likely to oppose the idea as it will be hard for them to adjust,” said Ms Gwatipedza.