City starts giving stands in lieu of owed salaries

Financially-hamstrung Harare City Council has started giving stands to its workers in lieu of salaries it owes them amounting to over $20 million.

Council employees, some of whom are in five months' arrears, have started receiving offer letters for stands in Eyestone Farm and Mabvuku.

Harare has a workforce of around 9 000 employees.

According to the recent Education, Health, Housing and Community Services and Licensing Committee minutes, council resolved to allocate 2 000 serviced stands in Eyestone of Arlington Estate and 1 000 residential stands in Mabvuku to council employees in Grades five to 16.

The stands range from 300 to 1 000 square metres and are being sold at $20 per square metre. Last year, the city put three of its commercial and industrial stands through public tender in a bid to raise over $20 million.

Harare has been struggling to pay workers' salaries and provide basic services owing to low revenue and recently announced that it would set aside $275 000 daily towards salaries in a bid to reduce arrears of six months.