By Rex Mphisa
THE National Employment Council upward reviewal of junior council employees salaries has smiled on senior management at the Beitbridge Rural District Council expected to maintain a certain percentage salary gap with their juniors.
This came out of full Council meeting sitting in Beitbridge Tuesday September 30, 2025 after Councillor Gift Munyayi for Ward 2 asked the prudence of staff salary increments in the background of council financial dire straits.
Council human resources executive Peter Ncube said the awarding of hikes for senior management was informed by an existent council resolution stating senior management should have 30 percent more salary than juniors for management purposes.
“We have Grade starting from 1 to 11 on the council organogram and 11th is the CEO while 1 is the lowest grade. For Grade 1 to 9 are governed by the NEC while management is governed by Council.
So when the NEC negotiation settled at the employees increase, existing council resolutions will push up management salaries up 30 percent for administrative purposes, ” Ncube said.
He explained junior staff salaries had come to where they were almost at par with their seniors expected to represent interests of the employer and a gap had to be maintained.
Councillor Robert Park said it was important to know the number of those in management because if the figure was small it would be much-ado-about nothing.
“We could be talking about just $20, and not worth much deliberation, ” said Park.
Ncube said the is one Grade 11 as CEO and six Grade 10 who are heads of department.
Earlier the meeting heard the local authority was in discussion with a partner for funding to overhaul Shashi irrigation scheme from a centre Pivot to more effective drip irrigation.
Shashi irrigation scheme produces oranges on commercial basis and had been funded by the European Union and Italian Non Governmental Organisation Cesvi.