Chitungwiza Municipality is set to retrench 391 employees while contracts for 264 others who have overstayed their employment will be terminated. A recommendation to suspend town clerk Mr Godfrey Tanyanyiwa and director of housing and community services, Ms Jemina Gumbo has been made to council by the ministerial team appointed to resuscitate operations.

A full council meeting addressed by Local Government, Rural and Urban Development Minister Ignatius Cho-mbo, yesterday appointed the chairman of the Resuscitation Team Mr Fungai Mbetsa as acting town clerk.

Further recommendations are being made to appoint committee members as the council’s management team.

But Minister Chombo said Government would not usurp the powers of council and advised that the council should first advertise the posts and encourage the team members to apply.

Government has also banned all land sells in Chitungwiza with immediate effect and has ordered a thorough investigation of all land sells and transactions following reports that some councillors and employees were in the habit of hoarding stands for speculative purposes.

On a national scale, Minister Chombo directed that all councils should stop converting open spaces into residential stands. He said where appropriate properties built on open spaces previously designated to maintain the decorum of residential areas would be demolished.

The retrenchments mean 655 employees would this year be asked to leave the cash-strapped municipality and in the process help to reduce the council’s salary bill.

Council is owed US$34 million in unpaid bills, while it owes its suppliers, Harare, banks and Government over US$16 million. The council has been failing to pay its employees on time and currently owes the workers December and January salaries.

Minister Chombo was in Chitungwiza to appraise himself with the team’s work.

Mr Mbetsa said 204 employees were engaged after a ministerial directive to stop recruitment, while another 187 workers in the liquor section have been recommended for retrenchment because the beer business was operating at a loss.

He said more employees that council employed to work in council run schools would be retrenched or the school development committees would be asked to take over their welfare.

Mr Mbetsa said his team had forwarded some files relating to council properties to the Anti-Corruption Commission for investigations.

As a cost-cutting measure, salaries for management have reverted to the June 2011 levels with measures to recover overpayments being put in place.

“One of our senior staff members has already given title deeds to her property as security for the outstanding debt. This is also in line with the ministerial directive,” he said.

Top of the range vehicles that were irregularly purchased for senior management have been recovered for disposal. Proceeds from the sales will be used to buy utility vehicles for service delivery.

Mr Mbetsa said his team had recommended a blitz to collect all the revenue owed to council.

The blitz entails door to door visits to ensure compliance, issuing of summons and legal action, closing shopping malls and refusing to grant operators’ licences until outstanding bills were paid.

Minister Chombo advised councillors and employees involved in illicit stand deals to present themselves and possibly receive leniency.

“If there are any of you who have been behaving badly please plead guilty,” he said.

Chitungwiza councillors fell over each other in praise of Mr Mbetsa and his team.Clr Jacob Rukweza said it was the wish of the councillors to turn the committee into the management team.

“I do not know whether if you remove this team we will have a similar competent team. At first I was a bit suspicious but I am impressed,” he said.

But Minister Chombo replied: “We cannot usurp the powers of council. If they are interested ask them to apply. Each position must be fairly contested for,” he said.

Mr Tanyanyiwa and Ms Gumbo have since been arrested and appeared in court facing corruption allegations. Five other senior officials have been suspended while another has also been arrested.