Harare City in major staff reshuffle

28 Sep, 2014 - 06:09 0 Views

The Sunday Mail

Charlotte Musarurwa Municipal Reporter
Harare City Council has re-assigned nearly 200 employees who had been rendered redundant after the municipality collapsed some departments to reduce costs and duplication of duties. The municipality’s human capital and public safety director, Dr Cainos Chingombe, said council had seconded the 196 workers to various departments as it could not retrench them due to unavailability of funds for such an exercise.
“For a long time we have had excess staff which was not in proper structures. Ever since we integrated the departments, we have been looking for a home for them,” he said.

“We used to have 11 departments and they were collapsed into five, so we had excess staff. However, some of the workers were crying foul that they do not want to leave their positions.”

A council worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the entire process had been opaque.
“They are not coming out in the open on what is happening. All of a sudden we are being moved to departments we are not familiar with.

“It appears that the move is targeted at some individuals because people who were working in the city centre are being posted to district offices,” said the employee.

The city is also accused of doing nothing about senior officials who wear multiple hats and draw huge salaries and acting allowances, while concerning itself with lower level staff.

Chamber secretary Mrs Josephine Ncube is said also hold the post of corporate services director as well as the acting town clerk.
Harare Residents’ Trust director Mr Precious Shumba said: “There are things which have not been clear about the positions that are created in council. We hear that the chamber secretary now has other posts.

“We need clarity on the issue as residents.”
However, Dr Chingombe said the duties assigned to Mrs Ncube were justified.

“The integration (of departments) was meant to cut costs. We looked at the chamber secretary and we said she is an administrator; we looked at housing — it’s administration.

“These elements have one thing in common so now the functions are combined.”
Dr Chingombe would not say how much Mrs Ncube was earning in all her roles.

Council has been haunted by serious staffing issues and it was once reported to have over 1 700 ghost employees.

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