‘US$3m Exit Package Mahachi Is A Good Candidate For 3Mths Notice Dismissal’- Harare Residents

HARARE residents groups have described as outrageous, a $3 million demand placed before the city council by under-fire town clerk Tendai Mahachi as a condition for his exit.

The city council’s top administrator was in July this year sent on forced leave by Harare mayor Bernard Manyenyeni for standing in the way of a city succession plan and sitting on council directives to rationalise hefty salaries for executives.

He brewed a shocker this week when he returned to draw a list of lavish demands worth a whopping $3 million for the city to secure his exit.

These included $100,000 salary for every year he served, a new Jeep Cherokee Overland registered in his name at the local authority’s expense and a council house located in a top Harare neighbourhood.

Mahachi also demanded six months fuel at the city’s expense, a 6,400 square metre commercial land, six months’ worth of newspaper subscription, and, the list goes on.

But in separate interviews with NewZimbabwe.com Tuesday, city residents groups slammed Mahachi for his alleged insensitivity and attempts to dry the struggling local authority’s depleted coffers.

Combined Harare Residents Association chair Simba Moyo said Mahachi should be the last person to place such unrealistic demands for someone with first-hand information on the city’s financial troubles.

“While it is a requirement that one must receive his dues when going on pension, we think he has already paid himself enough through his mega salaries for the past eight years,” Moyo said.

“In all earnest, he must allow the local authority to start recovering after he has been plundering it since 2007.

“His unrealistic demands once again demonstrate that he is totally insensitive to the plight of residents.”

Similarly, Harare Residents Trust director Precious Shumba urged the city to reject Mahachi’s demands.

“As a residents trust, we urge the City of Harare to reject those demands and possibly consider terminating his contract on three months’ notice.

“He is a good candidate for the three months’ notice.”

Shumba was referring to current plans by the city fathers to lay off 3,000 workers from its payroll riding on the controversial July 17 Supreme Court ruling.

The ruling grants employers leeway to terminate contracts with no obligation to pay affected workers severance packages.

Shumba continued: “Mahachi’s dismal record in managing the city affairs is there for all to see;

“ … Water delivery is at its lowest, refuse collection is inconsistent and at most non-existent, city roads are riddled with potholes.

“What justification does he have in making such outrageous demands?!”

Meanwhile, mayor Manyenyeni said the city was not able to meet the demands of its errant top employee, adding it was in the process of engaging his lawyers.

“It goes without saying that no one can meet those demands. He (Mahachi) knows it, you know it and I know it.

“We are engaging with his lawyers, that’s all we are doing,” he told NewZimbabwe.com.

Manyenyeni said he could not hazard a guess as to why Mahachi was placing outrageous demands before him. source-newzimbabwe

photo-Harare mayor-Bernard Manyenyeni-nehandaradio