Audit exposes rot in council recruitment

A RECENT audit held at Marondera Municipality has unearthed the rot in its recruitment exercise, including operating without a proper organogram as well as engaging unsuitable candidates in certain crucial positions.

According to latest full council minutes, the audit committee found out that council did not know the number of its employees.

“The audit manager reported that audit has noted that the adopted organogram was not a true reflection of what was obtaining on the ground. He said this was evidenced by the fact that the organogram has approved 231 employees while there were 249 employees on the ground,” the minutes read.

In 2016, Marondera Municipality retrenched dozens of employees, thus disrupting the local authority’s organogram.

Responding to the allegations, acting town clerk Rinashe Nyamuzihwa said the discrepancies were a result of the reorganisation process.

“The acting town clerk stated that the discrepancies in numbers were as a result of a reorganisation process that was conducted by council in liaison with the Local Government ministry,” Nyamuzihwa said.

“He said the reorganisation saw some employees being retrenched and there was need to move other employees to fill the gaps that were created.”

The audit manager said the shambolic organogram could result in increased loss of revenue due to overstaffing and recommended council to ensure that a job evaluation is conducted in order to align the existing employees to the organisational structure.

Meanwhile, councillors are reportedly at loggerheads with management following the recruitment of six graduate trainees in the finance department against the local authority’s policy.

“The audit manager reported that the audit noted that the municipality recruited six graduate trainees in the finance department, yet it does not have a policy on the recruitment of graduate trainees,” the minutes further read.

“Councillor Dominic Matangira said there was risk of legitimate expectation. He said the policy should be very clear. He said that the graduate trainees should stop work until a policy is put in place.”

The audit manager, however, said it was too late to fire the six trainees since they had already signed contracts and recommended management to come up with a clear policy on recruitment.