Harare city awards workers 6 percent salary increase

Patience Nhamburo

Zimbabwe’s capital city, Harare has awarded its workers a 6 percent Cost of Living Adjustment, (COLA) backdated to 2018, and a ZWL$125.00 hardship allowance, to cushion them against the high cost of living.

The city’s human resources and general purposes committee chairperson, Councilor Jacob Mafume, said the pay rise is subject to government approval of the city’s supplementary budget.

The decision follows a deadlock on the 2018 COLA negotiations and a 76 percent salary hike awarded to civil servants by government last week.

“The Hardship Allowance is an interim measure to cushion employees from the harsh economic environment, pending conclusion of negotiations for 2019 COLA,” Mafume told a news conference in Harare on Wednesday.

As part of revenue collection efforts, Mafume said council, which is owed ZWL$900 million by rate payers, will soon embark on a blitz to recover debts.

To optimize and expand revenue collection, Mafume said council will regularise formal and informal settlements, so that residents there can pay rates.

Harare has a number of unregistered settlements with one of them, Hopley being home to over 150 000 people.