By Helen Kadirire
The Harare City Council (HCC) has resolved to engage Local Government minister July Moyo over the recruitment freeze, which it wants suspended.
The engagement comes as the local authority has been filling various posts on a temporary basis as it cannot permanently employ, which is affecting operations.
The recruitment crisis came after HCC embarked on rationalisation exercise in 2014, which saw more than 1 000 employees being retrenched.
“…council (has) resolved that the town clerk engages Moyo on the recruitment freeze,” read part of the human resources minutes.
According to HCC spokesperson Michael Chideme, council is not understaffed but there were critical positions that needed to be filled.
“We have vacancies in critical posts which cannot be left without a substantive employee. We are losing people to natural causes, retirement and skills flight to greener pastures,” he told the Daily News.
However, Moyo is on record arguing that HCC over consults for vacant positions in their local authority, which they can easily fill without ministerial interference.
“The ministry should not be consulted on each and every vacant position. We should not be involved in how council recruits a general hand. There are positions in management however which require that,” he said.
In human resources minutes, there are 10 senior managerial positions which are vacant with four of them requiring ministerial approval.
Positions of town clerk, audit manager, financial controller and head of epidemiology and disease control await Moyo’s go ahead while the rest either have shortlisted candidates or are being advertised. DailyNews
