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Innocent Ruwende Senior Reporter
A tribunal tasked to investigate the alleged defiance by Harare City Council executives to cut salaries as per Government directive is set to cost council more after its term was extended by three more weeks.

The six-member team was expected to carry out its mandate in a months’ time, but it has emerged that the tribunal is yet to conduct any interviews as city executives are refusing to appear before it.

The tribunal is chaired by retired High Court judge Justice George Smith.

The probe was prompted by a Government audit which unearthed financial irregularities at Town House.

According to the audit report sanctioned by the Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Ministry, city executives continued to earn between $12 000 and $21 000 from October 2014 to June 2015, as opposed to $10 450 for the highest earner as stipulated by the Government.

This, the report said, prejudiced the city of over $550 000.

The city may have been prejudiced of millions, considering that over 40 managers also benefited.

These included the city doctors, engineers, lawyers and planners.

Sources at Town House say the tribunal, whose members are due to claim up to $6 000 each for the month which lapsed, may ask for more time as they are yet to get the necessary documents from the city management.

“Council usually pays $6 000 for a month long investigation, but this one is now going to two months and no ground has been covered and there are fears that the time may be extended again as city officials are not co-operating,” said a source.

Mayor Bernard Manyenyeni, confirmed that council had extended the tenure of the tribunal.

Clr Manyenyeni

“I notified council that the tribunal had requested for more time and we have extended their mandate by three more weeks,” he said.

Clr Manyenyeni told a full council meeting recently that the team had not yet completed its investigations, which were initially set to end in April this year.

“I have received a letter from the tribunal dealing with the salaries issue requesting for three weeks more to ensure they can cover the ground sufficiently,” he said.

“With the indulgence and concurrence of this council, I agree to their request.”

Government set a salary cap for salaries and perks per month for parastatal and local authorities’ bosses after it emerged that heads of State entities were paying themselves “obscene” salaries and perks at the expense of service delivery.