Own Correspondent
HARARE Mayor councillor Jacob Mafume might find himself swimming in mucky waters after it emerged that he gave ‘amplified’ information when testifying before the Commission of Inquiry regarding council managers’ salaries and allowances, if executive salaries schedule seen by this publication is anything to go by.
Cllr Mafume told the Commission of Inquiry into Harare council affairs since 2017 that executives were earning between US$15 000 and US$30 000 coupled with other allowances per month.
He said the huge perks were being kept as secret and attributed it to lack of accountability within council.
Mafume was slapped with a wholly suspended US$300 fine or three months in prison by the Commission of Inquiry for giving lying under oath.
According to documents leaked to this publication and addressed to the Commission’s chairperson last week, none of the 38 council executives earn amounts given by Cllr Mafume in his testimony.
Last week, council management wrote to the Commission led by retired High Court judge justice Maphios Cheda correcting the position in relation to their salaries.
“This letter seeks to give a detailed explanation on the Executive payroll for the City of Harare in order to set the record straight and clear the distortions that have been replete in the press and social media.
“The City of Harare Executive has a management negotiating committee that meets from time to time with the committee of councillors that was selected by his worship the Mayor (see annexure 1, Executive committees that was set up by Council for purposes of negotiations for Executive conditions of service)
“The negotiating committee has been meeting since 2019 to discuss conditions of service for the executives.
“Currently, those in the executive are 38 from Grade 1 occupied by the Town Clerk to Grade 4 who are managers.
“Our executives are currently paid a total Nostro of $63, 476.00 and a net of $34, 797.00 on monthly basis.
“This cost constitutes 2.5% of the USD revenue collected on monthly basis.
“Further to that, they are paid ZIG salaries a gross of ZIG12,640,000.00 and a net of ZIG 7, 346,527.00 on monthly basis.
“This cost further constitutes 3% of the total revenue collected in ZIG on monthly basis,” reads the letter written to the Commission.
The letter further claimed that the Town Clerk earns less than US$300 in gross salary with managers in Grade 4 taking home less than US$1000.
“The highest paid in Grade 1 is our Town Clerk who earns a gross of $2 463 and net of $1 551 as Nostro allowance and a net of ZIG339 000.00 as ZIG salaries.
“The lowest paid executive in Grade 4 earns a gross of $1,058.00 and net of $660.00 as Nostro allowances.
“The Executive payroll costs is therefore 2.7% of the total revenue collected by Council on monthly basis.
“Please be advised that all the above allowances and salaries were a product of collective bargaining between management representatives and the selected Councillors representing Council, as was stated in paragraph 1 above,” reads the letter.
Acting Town Clerk Eng Phakamele Mabhena-Moyo could neither confirm nor deny the contents of the letter expressing fear of being misquoted.
Eng Mabhena-Moyo also could not be drawn into giving a written response, as he advised this publication to wait for the February 27, 2025 Full Council Meeting to get the responses for the questions.
Efforts to get a comment from the Acting Human Resource Capital director Bosman Matengarufu were fruitless, as he said needed to be cleared by the Town Clerk to comment.
Sources within council revealed that tensions continue simmering between councillors and management, as they all jostling for power.
Cllr Mafume is alleged to be on the over-drive to ‘deal’ with managers who gave adverse testimonies pertaining his conduct at Town House.
It is alleged that his first intended casualty was Mathew Marara, whom he accused of feeding adverse information about him when he appeared before the Justice Cheda Commission.
“It is not a secret that after Marara appeared before the Commission, Mafume wanted him dismissed from work.
“Mafume wrote letters intending to change Marara’s Grade and position. He wanted to charge and take him for disciplinary hearing. Unfortunately, he failed and the matter was also taken to the Commission.
“Mafume failed to explain himself when grilled over his intension to dismiss Marara.
“This time around, his guns are pointing at Town Clerk Eng Chisango,” said the source.
Commenting on the issues of salaries, Cllr Mafume indicating that executives would not be paid pending negotiations and possible review of their earnings.
Cllr Mafume said if their intended negotiations fail, they will engage the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works for a way forward.
“We are not going to pay them their salaries until this is resolved.
“We are planning to have negotiations and if we fail, we will then engage the parent Ministry over the matter,” he said.
Speaking during a Full Council Meeting held on last month, Mafume indicated that he wants all executives’ salaries and allowances cut with immediate effect.
“Salaries need to be renegotiated so we can find a way forward.
“We will continue to clash over this issue until the salaries are reduced.
“It must be resolved before the next payday. If you plan to take us to court, so be it—if you win, so be it.”
“The salaries are unjustifiable.”
