News / Local
Councillors award themselves $750 monthly allowances
02 Apr 2014 at 06:21hrs | Views
A showdown looms between Local Government minister Ignatius Chombo and Bulawayo councillors after the latter elected to award themselves minimum monthly allowances of $750 each.
Town clerk Middleton Nyoni cautioned the councillors and advised against "rushed processing of this motion", but they resolved to seek an urgent meeting with Chombo. The allowance push comes at a time public anger is still simmering over "obscene" salary packages paid out to town clerks and senior municipal officials.
Council's monthly revenue collection has dropped by 50% and this has been attributed to the 2013 ministerial directive to write off all domestic user debts.
According to a confidential report of the general purposes meeting held on March 21, the councillors, through caucus chairperson Collet Ndlovu, said the proposed figures were reached "after considering the current state of the economy and challenges faced and endured by councillors".
All councillors, with the exception of deputy mayor Gift Banda, met at Hwange Safari Lodge from March 18-20 and resolved that each councillor be paid $50 for attending a committee meeting, $100 for a full council meeting and a general monthly allowance of $600.
Full council meetings are held once a month while committee meetings are held on a weekly basis. Bulawayo has 29 councillors and this would mean the local authority would spend a minimum of $21 750 on allowances every month.
Part of the report dated March 28 reads: "Councillors meeting at Hwange Safari Lodge on 19th March, 2014 passed the consideration of allowances taking their welfare into cognisance. The proposed and passed allowances were arrived at after considering the current state of the economy and challenges faced and endured by councillors.
"All councillors were present excluding the deputy mayor, councillor Gift Banda, and they all adopted the proposed allowances: (1) committee meetings allowance of $50, (2) full council allowance ($100) and monthly allowances (of) $600."
During deliberations, Nyoni cautioned against the move.
"Any proposal on the review of councillors' allowances was essentially subject to ministerial approval in terms of the Urban Councils Act (Chapter 29:15). In the absence of supporting data, the proposal was not likely to receive positive ministerial consideration," Nyoni was quoted as saying.
The councillors said they would engage Chombo on the matter, adding that they would also present to him other developmental issues such as the roll-out of the strategic plan, performance contracts for staff in terms of the new dispensation and the turnaround of the city.
"A timeframe of between two and three months was required for all this to happen. Dealing with the matter in isolation was not likely to yield (a) positive outcome," the report added.
Town clerk Middleton Nyoni cautioned the councillors and advised against "rushed processing of this motion", but they resolved to seek an urgent meeting with Chombo. The allowance push comes at a time public anger is still simmering over "obscene" salary packages paid out to town clerks and senior municipal officials.
Council's monthly revenue collection has dropped by 50% and this has been attributed to the 2013 ministerial directive to write off all domestic user debts.
According to a confidential report of the general purposes meeting held on March 21, the councillors, through caucus chairperson Collet Ndlovu, said the proposed figures were reached "after considering the current state of the economy and challenges faced and endured by councillors".
All councillors, with the exception of deputy mayor Gift Banda, met at Hwange Safari Lodge from March 18-20 and resolved that each councillor be paid $50 for attending a committee meeting, $100 for a full council meeting and a general monthly allowance of $600.
Full council meetings are held once a month while committee meetings are held on a weekly basis. Bulawayo has 29 councillors and this would mean the local authority would spend a minimum of $21 750 on allowances every month.
Part of the report dated March 28 reads: "Councillors meeting at Hwange Safari Lodge on 19th March, 2014 passed the consideration of allowances taking their welfare into cognisance. The proposed and passed allowances were arrived at after considering the current state of the economy and challenges faced and endured by councillors.
"All councillors were present excluding the deputy mayor, councillor Gift Banda, and they all adopted the proposed allowances: (1) committee meetings allowance of $50, (2) full council allowance ($100) and monthly allowances (of) $600."
During deliberations, Nyoni cautioned against the move.
"Any proposal on the review of councillors' allowances was essentially subject to ministerial approval in terms of the Urban Councils Act (Chapter 29:15). In the absence of supporting data, the proposal was not likely to receive positive ministerial consideration," Nyoni was quoted as saying.
The councillors said they would engage Chombo on the matter, adding that they would also present to him other developmental issues such as the roll-out of the strategic plan, performance contracts for staff in terms of the new dispensation and the turnaround of the city.
"A timeframe of between two and three months was required for all this to happen. Dealing with the matter in isolation was not likely to yield (a) positive outcome," the report added.
Source - newsday
