Councillors accused of politicising employment process

BULAWAYO City councillors have been stripped of powers to handpick individuals for employment under the community groups scheme after being accused of politicising the process.

The councillors - who are all members of the opposition MDC-T - previously had the mandate of employing members of the community to do various council stipulated duties inclusive of drain clearing, road maintenance, grass cutting and street cleaning, getting a monthly salary of up to $200.

However, in the latest development, the councillors who on a number of occasions had been accused of employing the groups on political grounds have since been stripped of those powers after a red flag was raised by the Government.

According to a council report the Bulawayo Metropolitan provincial administrator, Ms Khonzani Ncube had written to the local authority on behalf of the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, Saviour Kasukuwere where they (council) were questioned on the functions of the community groups.

"We understand that Bulawayo City Council has a programme that is running to help vulnerable people in the community.

"The Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing is interested to understand how this programme is running.

"May you furnish this office with a detailed report of the programme. Among other details you can explain the selection criteria, what sort of activities are done, the payment thereof and how it is calculated, which department is running the programme and what the councillor's involvement is in the whole process. We would appreciate it if this matter is treated with urgency," reads part of the letter sent to council.

The report further states that the eventual resolution to strip the councillors of the employment powers was necessitated by the fact that community groups were an important body within the local authority considering the Government stipulated recruitment freeze, which meant that council was unable to provide some services due to staff shortages.

"It was pointed out during the ensuing discussion that the background to the matter rested on the question of under staffing. Council was unable to recruit staff in view of the freeze on employment.

"There was therefore a gap on road and road verge maintenance projects which however, were seasonal and short term in nature.

"This was the rationale for community involvement through their respective ward councillors. The consensus after thorough debate on this matter was that the engagement of community groups should be an administrative role through the welfare section of council's housing and community services department in liaison with the project implementing departments," reads the report.

In an interview, the local authority's town clerk, Mr Christopher Dube confirmed that the employment of the community groups was now an administrative function revealing that this was in response to numerous complaints that councillors were abusing the system by employing on political lines.

"Before the council resolution there was always a problem where residents were complaining that this scheme is in the hands of councillors and it was being abused as councillors were selecting people from their political parties.

"The councillors were accused of not giving this to the people who are deserving, the vulnerable in our society. We as management have always been saying that really councillors have no business in employing these people because honestly they cannot assess the vulnerability of someone," said Mr Dube.

He said they were now happy that the issue had finally been resolved and that it would become a management issue as they would ensure that only deserving people benefited from the scheme.

Commenting on the same matter, the local authority's spokesperson, Mrs Nesisa Mpofu said this would help rid of a number of obstacles they were facing in the employment of community groups revealing that the local authority was already capacitated with the necessary personnel to determine the vulnerability of individuals in society.

"Looking at the dynamics of local government it will be easy if it's co-ordinated by council administration as it is a technical issue.

"Having in mind council's pro-poor policy this scheme allows social workers to go individually and assess because for one to be vulnerable there is some assessment that has to take place.

"We now want to link those vulnerable people, checking that they are ratepayers so that they are able to square off their debt to council. When you look at it, it will now make it structured and more easy to manage," said Mrs Mpofu.

In 2011 councillors in the city were left with egg on their faces when their attempt to bar workers purported to be from Zanu-PF who were part of the community sweeping groups was declared null and void by the Bulawayo High Court.

Council had on 1 June 2011 passed a resolution that all community cleaning groups' contracts be terminated in a month's time, for reasons which were not specified by that time.