When Salaries Wait, but Steak Can’t: Inside the $1 Million Councillor Retreat
Who needs functional public services when you can spend a cool million dollars on a thank-you trip?
That’s the big question Zimbabweans are asking after nearly 2,600 councillors descended on Harare this week to shake hands with the president in what has been dubbed the “Million-Dollar Indaba.”
Despite some councils struggling to pay their workers’ salaries—or, you know, fix potholes or collect garbage—local authorities managed to dig deep into their almost-empty coffers to fund this extravagant meeting. Councillors were treated to two nights of luxury accommodation, mouth-watering meals, and allowances that could make a starving municipal worker weep.
Here’s the Breakdown:
- Accommodation per night: $90
- Breakfast: $22.50 (fancier than your average toast and tea, we presume)
- Lunch: $30 (not your typical sadza and relish, clearly)
- Dinner: $37.30 (was there lobster on the menu?)
- Supplementary allowance: $30 (because why not?)
Total per day? A juicy $209.80 per councillor. Multiply that by 2,595 councillors, and voilà—$1,088,000, not including transport. That’s a lot of money to hear the President say, “Keep up the good work.”
But wait—there’s more! These funds don’t just come from a magic money tree. They’re from local councils that, ironically, are failing at local governance. Some workers haven’t seen a paycheck in months, and residents in many areas are left dodging craters masquerading as roads.
According to the Zimbabwe Local Government Association (ZILGA), the gathering was meant to thank Mnangagwa for his “Blue Print Call to Action” on service delivery and to seek guidance. One might wonder if a polite email or even a Zoom call could have sufficed, but apparently, that’s not how things roll in Zimbabwe.
ARDC Secretary General Isaac Matsilele and ZILGA Chairperson Aaron Golden Shamu confirmed the payouts but appeared fuzzy on the total costs, proving once again that accountability is so last season.
This meeting of minds reportedly ended with Mnangagwa urging councillors to deliver better services. If irony were a currency, Zimbabwe would be rolling in wealth right now.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Local Government was nowhere to be found for comment. Perhaps they were busy crafting the next million-dollar event?
The councillors’ million-dollar jamboree is like fixing a sinking ship with a golden hammer—eye-catching but utterly impractical. If local authorities can’t afford salaries or basic service delivery, should they really be splashing cash on a glorified meet-and-greet? Food for thought—though probably not as fancy as what the councillors had.
Credit: Masvingo Mirror for breaking the original
