Leslie Gwindi booted out

Harare City Council has booted out its spokesperson Leslie Gwindi and three other senior managers whose positions were made redundant by the city's restructuring programme.

The city is now negotiating packages with the four affected managers.

In June the city sent packing seven directors in an effort to reduce its salary bill, which was consuming more than half of its revenue.

Council recently collapsed several departments in a new structure, resulting in some directors becoming redundant.

Human Capital and Public Safety director Dr Cainos Chingombe yesterday confirmed the development saying the city was streamlining its functions in order to cut costs and cut a top heavy management.

"This is the second phase of the restructuring exercise. After the first one, we felt there was need for integration of some departments and it meant that some positions became redundant hence some managers were affected. "In the communications department which is under the town clerk, we felt it was top heavy and we did not need someone at a senior level. Mr Gwindi was at deputy director level. We need a runner who can be at a junior level so we are negotiating a package with Mr Gwindi," he said.

The city centralised the finance function hence its finance and administration manager Paul Dhliwayo will also be retrenched. The merging of the waste management and amenities department made Emmanuel Muza's position as waste management manager redundant hence he would also be retrenched while the joining of the Education and Social Services department led to the retrenchment of parks and cemetery manager Raymond Chiromo.

Dr Chingombe said the city didn't want to send people into the streets hence it would negotiate with affected parties.

According to the Human Resources and General Purposes' committee, the affected managers should either be redeployed or retrenched.

Dr Chingombe said following restructuring programme implemented in June, it was necessary to redeploy some of the managers to fill vacancies which had arisen. The redeployment is based on one's qualifications.

Vacancies have arisen due to the rationalisation exercise which resulted in the deletion of some posts and the merger of other positions.

The Human Resources and General Purposes committee has since recommended that the health services manager should carry out specialised health services management which was being performed under the deleted position of administration and finance manager.

In the Department of Works, it was recommended that the position of chief engineer electrical and mechanical services be removed and the duties be transferred to Engineer Roads. The result would be a new position of chief engineer.

It was also proposed that the City planning, City valuations and Estate management, City traffic and transport planning and survey should be merged to create the Land Development division.

The City Architect division would be merged with the Property Development unit to create the Property Development division.

On the Human Capital and Public Safety department, the position of human capital development manager (Grade four) would be reconstituted as well as that of chief fire officer (Grade four) which had been restructured.