News / Regional
Gwanda Town Clerk earns double what his Bulawayo counterpart earns
10 Feb 2014 at 06:43hrs | Views
GWANDA Town Council senior managers earn almost double what their Bulawayo counterparts take home in salaries every month.
Last Saturday, councillors demanded that management hands over the council's salary schedule following allegations that municipal managers were rewarding themselves handsomely despite increasingly collapsing service delivery. According to the council's January salary schedule, the top five managers earn a total of $62 826,25 per month.
Town clerk Gilbert Mlilo is the highest paid with $16 923, 87 per month, almost double what his Bulawayo counterpart Middleton Nyoni earns. Nyoni gets $9 439,19.
Mlilo's basic pay is $6 766,37, but his take home is bumped up by numerous allowances, which include responsibility ($2 706,55) professional ($2 368,23), retention ($2 368,23), telephone ($1 014,96), cellphone allowance ($1 014,96) and housing and car benefits of $278,58.
Mlilo and four other directors are also entitled to other employee benefits not paid as cash and these include school fees payment of $100 per term for up to two children, medical expenses, holiday allowance equivalent to the rate of Beitbridge Holiday Inn Express for two adults and a child, personal motor vehicle allowance of $100, weekly fuel of 20-30 litres depending on vehicle engine size, payment of his tariffs, water and electricity bills.
According to the salary schedule, these non-cash benefits have not been paid in the past three years owing to cash flow problems.
Housing director Sipho Mdlongwa's monthly package amounts to $11 860,89, town engineer Phakamile Ndebele and treasurer Xolani Dube earn $11 637,76 and $11 437, 76 respectively while chamber secretary Priscilla Nkala earns $10 965,97.
Their earnings are way above those of their Bulawayo counterparts whose directors and chamber secretary's basic pay is pegged at $4 627, with allowances upping their total monthly package to $8 404, 50.
The salary schedule has been forwarded to Local Government, Public Works and National Housing minister Ignatius Chombo.
The schedule was confirmed at a special full council meeting as the correct position regarding staff salaries and benefits.
Councillors who spoke to Southern Eye on condition of anonymity said the salary revelations had shocked them.
"Obviously our town clerk is among the highest paid in the province, yet people will always blame us for poor service delivery. The amount being paid to the top five managers is enough to pay close to 200 teachers monthly," said the councillor.
Gwanda town has over the years experienced erratic water supplies and lately, raw sewage has been flowing in the streets while refuse continues to pile up in residential areas uncollected. Road maintenance has been neglected and every street in the town is littered with potholes.
The council has also been failing to pay its workers on time and December salaries were only paid this month.
Last Saturday, councillors demanded that management hands over the council's salary schedule following allegations that municipal managers were rewarding themselves handsomely despite increasingly collapsing service delivery. According to the council's January salary schedule, the top five managers earn a total of $62 826,25 per month.
Town clerk Gilbert Mlilo is the highest paid with $16 923, 87 per month, almost double what his Bulawayo counterpart Middleton Nyoni earns. Nyoni gets $9 439,19.
Mlilo's basic pay is $6 766,37, but his take home is bumped up by numerous allowances, which include responsibility ($2 706,55) professional ($2 368,23), retention ($2 368,23), telephone ($1 014,96), cellphone allowance ($1 014,96) and housing and car benefits of $278,58.
Mlilo and four other directors are also entitled to other employee benefits not paid as cash and these include school fees payment of $100 per term for up to two children, medical expenses, holiday allowance equivalent to the rate of Beitbridge Holiday Inn Express for two adults and a child, personal motor vehicle allowance of $100, weekly fuel of 20-30 litres depending on vehicle engine size, payment of his tariffs, water and electricity bills.
According to the salary schedule, these non-cash benefits have not been paid in the past three years owing to cash flow problems.
Housing director Sipho Mdlongwa's monthly package amounts to $11 860,89, town engineer Phakamile Ndebele and treasurer Xolani Dube earn $11 637,76 and $11 437, 76 respectively while chamber secretary Priscilla Nkala earns $10 965,97.
The salary schedule has been forwarded to Local Government, Public Works and National Housing minister Ignatius Chombo.
The schedule was confirmed at a special full council meeting as the correct position regarding staff salaries and benefits.
Councillors who spoke to Southern Eye on condition of anonymity said the salary revelations had shocked them.
"Obviously our town clerk is among the highest paid in the province, yet people will always blame us for poor service delivery. The amount being paid to the top five managers is enough to pay close to 200 teachers monthly," said the councillor.
Gwanda town has over the years experienced erratic water supplies and lately, raw sewage has been flowing in the streets while refuse continues to pile up in residential areas uncollected. Road maintenance has been neglected and every street in the town is littered with potholes.
The council has also been failing to pay its workers on time and December salaries were only paid this month.
Source - Southern Eye
