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Innocent Ruwende Senior Reporter
Harare City Council has now gone for over 30 months without a substantive town clerk, with no solution in sight, a situation the Mayor Councillor Bernard Manyenyeni says is adversely affecting operations.

Renewed efforts to recruit a new town clerk hang in the balance as the Local Government Board is sitting on Harare’s submissions for the position. Zimbabwe’s capital has not had a substantive town clerk since 2015 after Dr Tendai Mahachi was forced to resign.

Clr Manyenyeni clashed with the Local Government Board over the board’s intention to interview candidates who were not short-listed for the post. Harare had trimmed successful applicants to nine, of which three were shortlisted for the position of town clerk. MDC-T legislator Dr Tapuwa Mashakada, who is also economic advisor to MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai, scored 1 534 points, the highest, in the interviews.

Also shortlisted for the job is council’s human capital director Dr Cainos Chingombe and Gweru Town Clerk Mrs Elizabeth Gwatipedza, who scored 1 394 points and 1 228 points, respectively. Dr Mashakada, whose candidacy had been questioned by the parent ministry, said he was prepared to dump his constituency and politics to land the post.

Clr Manyenyeni said yesterday that he was “soon’’ going to meet Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister July Moyo over the issue, as it was adversely affecting council.

“Thirty months without executive leadership has badly affected council services,” he said. “Let us close this chapter of uncertainty. The town clerk saga tell you that we pretend to run Harare.” According to Section 135 of the Urban Councils Act, the Local Government Board shall interview every person whose name has been submitted to it by a council and may approve a person recommended by the council concerned or refuse to approve any person recommended by the council concerned.

In 2016, Harare appointed former banker Mr James Mushore town clerk before he was sent on forced leave without benefits, a month after his controversial appointment.