Some revenue collectors for Lalakani, Tchaire, Mangunda, Goliati and Thyolo flea markets told Zodiak Online on Thursday that they stopped receiving monthly salaries in August 2021 and never gotten any leave grant for the past 10 years.

They claim efforts to get convincing responses from the authorities have proved futile as they keep on asking them to wait.

"We have not been receiving salaries since August last year. We do not know the reason for this. When we ask our immediate bosses at the office, they always tell us to keep on waiting on the money.

"In addition, we have not been receiving some arrears since 2015 and even leave grants that date back to 2010," one of the them said.

They say the council is owing tens of them over K1 million each of salaries, at a time they are living miserably and caught up in huge debts to survive.

"This is the tenth month without receiving anything. We are facing with numerous challenges such as failing to pay school fees for our children. We are surviving on debts and some small businesses," another one added.

Meanwhile, Speaking to Zodiak Online today, Thyolo District Commissioner Douglas Moffat, has admitted the claims, attributing them to low revenue remittances by the revenue collectors.

"I should not say it’s true or not, but it’s a balance between meeting the obligation as the council to ensure that these people are paid, but them also as the revenue collectors making sure that are bringing money.

"What is happening is that the amount of money they are remitting to the council, is not adequate enough to meet their salaries. In other ways, what I’m trying to say is that all the revenue we are getting is paid to those people, but it's not adequate," Moffat said.

Moffat says the councils has been engaging them on how to clear the arrears that accrued for years way back.

"What has been happening is that government has been raising salaries for its staff, and as the council we also followed the same. But, the revenue base that we have its not matching. So, when collecting the money, we are paying the current money to offset the arrears.

"So, you can see that this requires dialogue between both of us. We need to work hard both of us. If management works hard, and they don't work hard, we will not meet it," he explained.