The Sunday News
Business Reporter
THE Zimbabwe National Water Authority has terminated contracts for all its 120 contract workers across the country as the parastatal faces operational challenges due to non-payment of more than $100 million it is owed by various debtors.Outgoing chief executive officer, Engineer Albert Muyambo, wrote a letter last month to all divisional heads and catchment area managers advising them to give notices to the affected workers in terms of the Labour Act and ensure that all of them would be out of jobs by 31 December.
The letter, a copy seen by Sunday Business, states that the heads and catchment managers must ensure the parastatal redeploys its permanent staff to fill in the positions.
However, Zinwa corporate communications and marketing manager, Mrs Marjorie Munyonga, said, in a written response to questions, that the exercise was not retrenchment but “their contracts of employment are expiring on December 31, 2014”.
She said this was one of the strategies that was being implemented to turn around the fortunes of the struggling water authority which is also in five months arrears in terms of salaries.
“The authority is currently battling to collect around $100 million which it is owed by various debtors. These debtors include irrigation farmers, local authorities, Government departments, mines and private individuals.
The non-payment for services by various clients has adversely affected the Authority’s operations leading to the authority accumulating a five-month salary arrears. Zinwa is also failing to pay its creditors on time,” she said.
Mrs Munyonga added the parastatal had 1 924 permanent employees who will be deployed to cover for the positions left by the contract workers.
She said Zinwa had in some cases disconnected defaulters and sometimes resorted to the legal route to recoup what it is owed.
“Zinwa has continued to engage these debtors on various platforms to ensure that they pay up. In some instances consumers have been disconnected as a way of enforcing payment. In other cases, the Authority has resorted to the court legal route to recoup what it is owed. The authority continues to appeal to all those in arrears to pay up or present appropriate payment plans.”
