News / National
BCC accused of diverting health workers pay
12 Dec 2021 at 14:18hrs | Views
BULAWAYO City Council (BCC) has been accused of diverting funds earmarked for community health workers who trained under the Global Fund in 2010.
Some of the affected health workers told Southern Eye that they last got paid in 2019.
"We work under harsh conditions where we are not given personal protective equipment and uniforms," one of the community health workers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.
The health workers allegedly signed contracts with the BCC stating that they would be paid $4 000 per month. Copies of the contracts were withheld from them on the pretext that council was waiting for the signature of the Bulawayo director of health services.
They said this made it more difficult to claim their dues.
"We are also being told that the Global Fund has ceased paying us and that we are now under the United Development Fund. This is making it difficult to identify our employer. The council is not willing to pay us and those that received their incentives only got US$85," another health worker said.
The disgruntled community health workers said they reported the issue at Mhlahlandlela government offices, but because they did not have documentary proof of their contracts, they did not get any joy.
A council official in the finance department dismissed the allegations as false.
"What is being said is not true. If there are any queries, the community health workers should report them at Tower Block in the health department," she said.
The aggrieved health workers said efforts to engage the Global Fund had hit a snag.
BCC director of health services Edwin Sibanda said the names of the concerned community health workers should be sent to Harare to enable them to get the outstanding payments. He referred further questions to BCC human resources manager Makhosi Tshalebwa who declined to comment and referred Southern Eye to the public relations department.
BCC spokesperson Nesisa Mpofu on Tuesday asked for questions to be sent to another council official, Bongiwe Ngwenya through email.
However, by yesterday, council had not responded to the questions.
Some of the affected health workers told Southern Eye that they last got paid in 2019.
"We work under harsh conditions where we are not given personal protective equipment and uniforms," one of the community health workers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.
The health workers allegedly signed contracts with the BCC stating that they would be paid $4 000 per month. Copies of the contracts were withheld from them on the pretext that council was waiting for the signature of the Bulawayo director of health services.
They said this made it more difficult to claim their dues.
"We are also being told that the Global Fund has ceased paying us and that we are now under the United Development Fund. This is making it difficult to identify our employer. The council is not willing to pay us and those that received their incentives only got US$85," another health worker said.
The disgruntled community health workers said they reported the issue at Mhlahlandlela government offices, but because they did not have documentary proof of their contracts, they did not get any joy.
A council official in the finance department dismissed the allegations as false.
"What is being said is not true. If there are any queries, the community health workers should report them at Tower Block in the health department," she said.
The aggrieved health workers said efforts to engage the Global Fund had hit a snag.
BCC director of health services Edwin Sibanda said the names of the concerned community health workers should be sent to Harare to enable them to get the outstanding payments. He referred further questions to BCC human resources manager Makhosi Tshalebwa who declined to comment and referred Southern Eye to the public relations department.
BCC spokesperson Nesisa Mpofu on Tuesday asked for questions to be sent to another council official, Bongiwe Ngwenya through email.
However, by yesterday, council had not responded to the questions.
Source - NewsDay Zimbabwe
