News / Local
Harare Residents Trust fume at revenue collection stance
06 Feb 2017 at 06:39hrs | Views
Harare Residents Trust has expressed concern at council top official pronouncement that the local authority was now focusing on raising money in order to pay off outstanding salaries.
The residents trust said such priorities are misplaced.
Below is the statement in full :
Mrs Josephine Ncube, the Chamber Secretary and Acting Town Clerk of the Harare City Council, your statements that your priorities are revenue collection in order to close the huge gap on salary arrears to municipal employees which have now gone to six months, are not in sync with the reality on the ground.
The focus of the City of Harare should never be on revenue collection but on primarily delivering the essential services, and instilling the confidence of the ratepayers so that they are motivated to pay their rates.
The report that your council secured a loan in order to buy private vehicles for use in revenue collection is evidence that the Council is not learning from its numerous errors of judgement when it comes to running the City of Harare.
Your focus, Mrs Ncube, should be to strengthen the linkage between the City of Harare and its multifaceted stakeholders so that there is appreciation of each other's roles, duties and obligations.
Focusing on raising money in order to pay off outstanding salaries will yield nothing as us in the HRT will also be intensifying our campaigns to expose the corruption that seems to be eating away what remains of the Council.
Our Demands:
1. Every official implicated in the Government's audit report should be forced to repay all the money paid without approval of the Council.
2. The City of Harare should cut down on all expenditures especially on salaries and allowances. May the Council comply with the Government's directive on salaries of senior managers, and please close the gap between employees in Grades 4 and five. Workers in Grade 5 earn half what the workers in Grade 4 earn.
3. Your billing system is not up to date, especially where the interest charged on overdue accounts is concerned.
4. Scrap all interest on overdue accounts.
5. Cut down on the whole salary structure by 30 percent to reflect the prevailing socio- economic environment. Your current earnings, while not of major concern in a functioning economy, are out of touch with reality today.
6. The Council has to open up its system and be more accommodating to the residents so that there is general consensus around key service delivery priorities. Currently as Council's senior management you are on your own while residents are on their own.
The residents trust said such priorities are misplaced.
Below is the statement in full :
Mrs Josephine Ncube, the Chamber Secretary and Acting Town Clerk of the Harare City Council, your statements that your priorities are revenue collection in order to close the huge gap on salary arrears to municipal employees which have now gone to six months, are not in sync with the reality on the ground.
The focus of the City of Harare should never be on revenue collection but on primarily delivering the essential services, and instilling the confidence of the ratepayers so that they are motivated to pay their rates.
The report that your council secured a loan in order to buy private vehicles for use in revenue collection is evidence that the Council is not learning from its numerous errors of judgement when it comes to running the City of Harare.
Your focus, Mrs Ncube, should be to strengthen the linkage between the City of Harare and its multifaceted stakeholders so that there is appreciation of each other's roles, duties and obligations.
Focusing on raising money in order to pay off outstanding salaries will yield nothing as us in the HRT will also be intensifying our campaigns to expose the corruption that seems to be eating away what remains of the Council.
Our Demands:
1. Every official implicated in the Government's audit report should be forced to repay all the money paid without approval of the Council.
2. The City of Harare should cut down on all expenditures especially on salaries and allowances. May the Council comply with the Government's directive on salaries of senior managers, and please close the gap between employees in Grades 4 and five. Workers in Grade 5 earn half what the workers in Grade 4 earn.
3. Your billing system is not up to date, especially where the interest charged on overdue accounts is concerned.
4. Scrap all interest on overdue accounts.
5. Cut down on the whole salary structure by 30 percent to reflect the prevailing socio- economic environment. Your current earnings, while not of major concern in a functioning economy, are out of touch with reality today.
6. The Council has to open up its system and be more accommodating to the residents so that there is general consensus around key service delivery priorities. Currently as Council's senior management you are on your own while residents are on their own.
Source - Byo24News
