BY JAMES MUONWA
THE Chinhoyi Municipality has resolved to kick out all employees occupying council houses who own properties in the town.
The move, council argues, will pave way for disadvantaged workers, who have not yet been allocated land or bought stands, to have decent accommodation.
Councillor Blackmore Nyangairo told a full council meeting held on Tuesday at the Town House that the local authority would, as a matter of urgency, allocate council houses to deserving employees not entitled to any housing stands in Chinhoyi.
“The audit committee recommended that standing contracts on employee housing must be withdrawn and renewed. Houses should be awarded to those not entitled to any housing stands in the system,” Nyangairo said.
According to minutes of the audit committee, propositions reached at a meeting held on May 20, 2019, show that the municipality pushed for the compilation of an updated property inventory, tenants and debtors’ lists to plug financial leakages and corruption.
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Council was urged to put in place strategic measures to ensure routine maintenance of its properties, most of which were in a dilapidated state.
The municipality recently resolved to parcel out stands to scores of its workers in lieu of payment of salary arrears dating back to 2011.
This latest development renders many of them ineligible to continue occupying council houses.
Workers who spoke to NewsDay yesterday lamented the prospect of being “condemned” to renting from private individuals, arguing that the move would put them on a collision path with landlords in light of council’s lethargy to pay wages and salaries timeously.
Workers say council was victimising them for demanding their dues.
Meanwhile, the full council resolved to pursue the option of billing some ratepayers in foreign currency for water, sewer reticulation and other ancillary municipal services.
Chamber secretary Abel Gotora said a nostro bank account had already been opened with a local bank, while council awaits approval from the Local Government ministry to charge forex on service providers who insist council settles its debts in hard currency.