Africa-Press – Mozambique. Employees and members of the Municipal Assembly of the Ilha de Moçambique municipality in Nampula province have not been paid since April. ‘Carta de Moçambique’ has learned that this is due to two concomitant factors: a cut in, and delays in the payment of, the Municipal Compensation Fund (FCA) by the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
In total, 250 people are affected, including employees, state agents and members of the Municipal Assembly.
According to Carta sources, the municipal council previously received just over 2,700,000.00 meticais from the government. That amount was revised downwards to the current 1,800,000.00 meticais.
The Councillor for Finance at Ilha de Moçambique, Erula Atunane, says that the government justifies the cuts on the basis of a budget review and on the allocation of funds on the basis of the surface area of municipalities.
“They [the central government] say that Ilha de Moçambique is only 12 km , which is not true. We can find scientific manuals that prove otherwise. The total surface area of the municipality is 226 km. Now, if it [the Municipal Compensation Fund to be disbursed by the Ministry of Economy and Finance] were calculated according to 226 km, we would have more than we currently receive,” Atunane said cited by Carta de Moçambique.
She said that the Renamo-led council had submitted several letters to the Ministries of Economy and Finance and of State Administration and Public Service requesting the reversal of the decision, but without response.
The Councillor said that, because of Covid-19, teams had only been able to collect between 150,000 and 200,000 meticais, against the 300,000 meticais collected before the pandemic.
“These amounts – our own revenues – were not even enough to pay the energy, water and fuel purchase bills for the waste-collection and cleaning vehicle fleet,” she lamented.
