Highest paid Zimbabwe mayor earns $450

THE highest paid mayor in Zimbabwe is the Harare mayor, who earns $450 per month, it has emerged.

Local Government secretary Killian Mupingo disclosed the paltry salaries earned by mayors, councillors and traditional leaders on Tuesday, but declined to disclose the other benefits which made the posts attractive.

"Of course, there are other perks that go with the posts that I cannot disclose," Mupingo said while addressing members of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Local Government chaired by Mutasa South MP Irene Zindi.

Mupingo said the Harare mayor got a monthly salary of $450 per month while the deputy mayor earned $340. The Bulawayo mayor got $350 and the deputy earned $300. Mayors in other cities got monthly salaries of $300.

He said there were 272 chiefs, 452 headmen and an estimated 25 000 village heads.

"Chiefs earn $300 per month. Those in the National Council of Chiefs get an additional $30. Headmen get $140 per month, village heads $25, chiefs' messengers $40, and headmen's messengers $20. When a chief dies, there is a package of $200, an open-face casket or cash equivalent, and food assistance of $200."

He said the vehicle assistance scheme extended to chiefs was to enable them to buy the cars at affordable monthly instalments.

"We do not buy cars for chiefs, but we assist them to buy and they pay for the vehicles minus taxes. We now have a statutory instrument and a constitution to be presented before Parliament to regulate their vehicle support scheme," Mupingo said.

He added councillors got $290 monthly salaries, rural district council chairpersons $130, and ordinary councillors $100, adding that councillors were entitled to travel and airtime allowances.