Innocent Ruwende Municipal Reporter
Exit package negotiations between Harare City Council and ousted town clerk Dr Tendai Mahachi are heading for a deadlock as parties have failed to reach an agreement despite more than three weeks of deliberations.
The city opened negotiations with Dr Mahachi’s representative Mr Chenjerai Daitai of Magwaliba and Kwirira legal practitioners more than three weeks ago but the parties are still to agree.
The city had set a one-week deadline and an agreement was supposed to be announced on September 19 this year.
Harare Mayor Bernard Manyenyeni appointed a team led by Councillor Enock Mupamaonde to negotiate a package with Dr Mahachi’s representatives last month.
The team missed the deadline and more than two weeks after the deadline the two parties are still “negotiating”.
Mayor Manyenyeni conceded that the negotiations were taking longer than anticipated.
“We have not made much progress as anticipated. We are in a delayed process of agreeing,” he said.
Council recently endorsed the decision to terminate Dr Mahachi’s contract which was made by the Human Resources and General Purposes Committee.
Mayor Bernard Manyenyeni was authorised to negotiate a package with Dr Mahachi’s lawyers during a special council meeting.
Dr Mahachi then made an application at the High Court arguing that Section 139(2) of the Urban Councils’ Act requires that prior to the termination of a contract of employment in respect of a town clerk, the Local Government Board must approve the termination.
He, however, withdrew the application in which he was seeking an order compelling the city to reinstate him following the negotiations.
Prior to making a High Court application, Dr Mahachi had demanded a golden handshake from the city and among his 22 demands he wanted the city to give a mansion in Belvedere and two top of the range vehicles.
According to a letter written by his lawyers to Mayor Manyenyeni, Dr Mahachi, who earned more than $27 000 a month wanted the city to pay him more than $100 000 for every year he served the city.
He joined the city in 2007.
Harare has since started hunting for new town clerk to replace Dr Mahachi with some of the current directors under consideration.
Mayor Manyenyeni has, however, not ruled out hiring someone from outside council.