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OpenColtart Challenges Government To Increase Councillors' Pay
Bulawayo mayor, David Coltart, said that there is low morale among the city’s councillors, stating that they are poorly paid, forcing them to rely on allowances to make ends meet.
During the “In Conversation with Trevor” series held in Bulawayo on Tuesday, Coltart revealed that the councillors are compelled to take on at least two jobs to survive, given the inadequate compensation they receive for their municipal duties. He said (via NewsDay):
I get paid an allowance of US$47 a month as mayor and councillors are paid even less, so there is very low morale among councillors. Councillors are constantly finding ways of supplementing.
We spend far too much time on workshops and we do the practical day-to-day business that needs to be done, because, without workshops, councillors can’t survive.
The major problem is the change from executive to ceremonial mayors. It means that mayors and councillors need to have at least two jobs and definitely, they need a job outside of being mayors and they balance the income.
Coltart urged the government to consider adopting a model similar to South Africa, where mayors hold executive powers rather than serving in a purely ceremonial role. He said:
If they are like the citizens of South Africa, whose full-time job is running the city and it reflects globally, that’s something that the government needs to look at.
If I could admit that if I committed 24 hours to this job, there is no doubt that we could achieve a lot more, you can’t just work in an executive power with limited powers.
Earlier this year, in January, Coltart revealed that his monthly income amounted to only US$25.
This disclosure came after some opposition activists had demanded that he resign after the Citizens’ Coalition for Change party had been hijacked by Sengezo Tshabangu.
Coltart said that his decision not to step down was not motivated by personal greed, but rather by his commitment to serve the residents of Bulawayo.
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