Harare City Council has started giving stands to its workers in place of salaries it owes them amounting to over $20 million. Council employees, some of whom are in five months’ arrears, have started receiving offer letters for stands in Eyestone Farm and Mabvuku.
According to the recent Education, Health, Housing and Community Services and Licensing Committee minutes, council resolved to allocate 2 000 serviced stands in Eyestone of Arlington Estate and 1 000 residential stands in Mabvuku to council employees in Grades five to 16. The stands range from 300 to 1 000 square metres and are being sold at $20 per square metre.
Last year, the city put three of its commercial and industrial stands through public tender in a bid to raise over $20 million. Harare has been struggling to pay workers’ salaries and provide basic services owing to low revenue and recently announced that it would set aside $275 000 daily towards salaries in a bid to reduce arrears of six months.
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