Councillors award themselves ‘medical aid cover’

12 Dec, 2015 - 23:12 0 Views

The Sunday News

BULAWAYO City councillors are headed on a collision course with the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing after they awarded themselves more monthly allowances which they said were meant for their medical aid cover.
The latest development comes after the ministry rejected a move by the councillors to have a 455 percent allowances increase, which was going to see an ordinary councillor earning $1 000 a month.

The Government instead ordered that an ordinary councillor should get $317, committee chairpersons $375, the deputy mayor $519 and the mayor’s allowance was pegged at $831.

However, according to a council confidential report, councillors last week approved that they should each be awarded $190 meant for medical aid cover, a move which saw both the council’s financial director Mr Kimpton Ndimande and human resources manager Mr Makhosi Tshalebwe distancing themselves from the decision.

“Councillor Rodney Jele sought clarification on the $190 which was meant for medical aid. Most councillors felt that the $190 medical aid should be included in their allowances. The matter had been discussed by the mayor (Clr Martin Moyo) with the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing (Cde Saviour Kasukuwere) in Harare.

“In response to the matter, the financial director said that he knew nothing about the matter. The human resources manager also said that he was not aware that there was a medical aid issue which was pending,” reads part of the report.

However, despite the two senior council officials professing ignorance on the matter, councillors took matters to their hands and approved that they should receive the $190 medical aid cover in addition to the allowances approved by the Government with Clr Moyo tasked with informing the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Engineer George Mlilo.

Efforts to get a comment from the mayor were fruitless as he was said to be in China. However, the acting mayor, Clr Gift Banda, said they were now awaiting for Clr Moyo to approach Eng Mlilo so as to get to the bottom of the matter.

“Yes councillors passed that resolution but we are now waiting for Clr Moyo to return then so as to inform the ministry as he was the one tasked with that responsibility,” said Clr Banda.

Eng Mlilo’s mobile phone was also not reachable.
Cde Kasukuwere said he was not aware of the development.

“All I’m aware of are the allowances which we approved as a ministry, I haven’t heard anything to do with medical aid cover,” said Cde Kasukuwere.

Previously the local authority has clashed with its workers, with councillors continuously rejecting requests from the workers for a salary increase. According to the council’s salary schedule contained in a confidential council report, the lowest paid worker, who is grade one gets a basic salary of $180 that can be incentivised to notch six where they can get up to $241.

Grade two workers get $255 and their maximum notch is $340. Grade three workers get a basic salary of $360.
The last time the workers’ request was rejected by the councillors who argued council was in no financial position to award them the increase but instead a Cost of Living Adjustment, which would see workers get a determined allowance across the board.

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