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Yeukai Karengezeka Herald Correspondent
Business came to a standstill at Chitungwiza Town Council head office on Tuesday after hundreds of municipal workers demonstrated against their employer for failing to address their welfare, while blowing thousands of dollars on a team-building workshop in Kadoma.

The employees demanded residential stands which they were promised over five years ago, outstanding salaries and the immediate cancellation of “unnecessary” workshops which are being funded at the expense of service delivery.

Councillors and management have organised a team-building workshop from yesterday until Friday at a hotel in Kadoma.
Sources at the local authority said each of the 25 councillors was getting an average allowance of $3 500 while the management is getting more.

In an interview, Chitungwiza Municipal Workers’ Union (CMWU) president Reverend Ephraim Katsina said workers were fed up with the arrogance exhibited by the employer.

“Workers are tired of the ill-treatment they are getting from the council management,” he said. “Employees were promised stands which never materialised.

“The disturbing thing is that stands are being sold here at the council everyday through the back-door. They are issuing a lot of offer letters but when it comes to honouring their promise to us as workers they talk of insufficient land.”

Rev Katsina said there was gross mismanagement of funds by the management which was only serving its personal interests while the generality of Chitungwiza residents were suffering.
He said workers were also owed over 30 months’ salary arrears.

Chitungwiza Mayor Councillor Lovemore Maiko said the allocation of stands to workers was work in progress.
“We are aware that workers were promised stands,” he said. “Right now we are in the process of trying to acquire more land. That is why we are also even engaging Manyame Rural District Council to jointly run the Nyatsime area.”

On the workshops, Cllr Maiko said it was crucial to hold the workshop because council structures were in disarray.
“As councillors, since the beginning of the year we only went out of Harare once and this workshop is very crucial if the council is to move forward,” he said. “Currently, there is serious discord amongst councillors, management and employees and this workshop will help solve all these problems.”