HARARE - Harare City Council’s town clerk and chamber secretary are set for an early Christmas treat after the local authority resolved to splash $350 000 on new cars for the top officials.

Tendai Mahachi, the town clerk and chamber secretary Josephine Ncube will be raving in spanking new top-of-the -range vehicles bought for them by council come Christmas.

Meanwhile, residents continue to do with piling refuse as the Muchadeyi Masunda-led council continues to plead lack of resources to buy refuse trucks.

According to council minutes approved last week, the cash-strapped local authority, which is heavily reliant on ratepayers for revenue, will buy a Toyota Land Cruiser VXV8 valued at $190 000 from Mike Harris for Mahachi.

Currently, Mahachi uses a similar vehicle which is still intact but councillors approved the purchase, claiming that it is part of his conditions of service.

His subordinate, Ncube, will cruise into the festive season driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee valued at $117 000.

Funds have already been made available for the vehicles.

The purchase of the two vehicles will be done without going to tender, possibly in violation of section 211 of the Urban Council’s Act which states that any procurement by a local authority valued at more than $11 000 should go through a public tender.

Mahachi’s contract expired in February and Masunda has declined to talk about his fate saying it is a private issue.

Mahachi signed the performance based contract in 2007 when Sekesai Makwavarara was the Harare council boss.

His contract states that he should get a new vehicle after every four years of service with a right to buy the one he is using.

Council has only 20 refuse collection vehicles catering for 46 wards resulting in some areas going for days, if not weeks, with garbage on their doorsteps.

The situation is so dire that some residents recently demonstrated at Town House saying they fear a cholera outbreak if city fathers continue neglecting garbage collection.

The purchase of the vehicles also comes at a time when council is spending more than 50 percent of its budget on salaries against a government directive of 30 percent. - Xolisani Ncube