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Innocent Ruwende Senior Reporter
Harare City Council fears that its latest attempt to recruit a town clerk might fail to attract the best candidates for the city’s top job because of the drama that has characterised the recent two failed attempts. The Local Government Board has so far declined two candidates — Mr James Mushore and Dr Tapiwa Mashakada — who were shortlisted from two separate recruitment exercises.

Last week, the local authority re-advertised the post.
In an interview, Harare Mayor Councillor Bernard Manyenyeni said the capital, which has gone for more than forty days without a substantive town clerk, needs the services of a top-notch professional.

He said council will go through submitted applications on Wednesday after the window for submitting applications closes.
“We have restarted the process of recruiting for the town clerk.

“With the resultant loss of interest, quality of aspirants will decline to a point where we may secure aspirant number 400 as your town clerk.

“The position of town clerk of Harare is a very strategic post which requires a top-notch professional to deal with the business, financial and service delivery aspects of the City of Harare,” said Clr Manyenyeni.

“After the James Mushore debacle, we are faced with yet another situation where the three preferred candidates have been rejected by the Local Government Board and as such, we remain without a substantive town clerk.”

Engineer Hosiah Chisango is presently the Acting Town Clerk and a recent full council meeting proposed appointing him on a substantive basis in order to avoid another “endless” recruitment exercise.

Clr Manyenyeni accused the Local Government Board (LGB) of frustrating the appointment of a new town clerk.
“Both recruitment runs were torpedoed by the involvement of the Local Government Board.

“It may comfort the residents of the city that a legal challenge is being mounted simultaneously on the unconstitutionality of the political leg-irons which have denied your council the authority to run your affairs.
“We yearn for finality,” he said.

Mr Mushore, who signed a two-year contract on April 1, 2016, was the first candidate to succeed Dr Mahachi, but his term of office was largely abortive as the LGB said his recruitment was done unprocedurally.

He was subsequently sent on forced leave a week later after Government rescinded his appointment on the basis that it violated the Urban Councils Act.

The recent recruitment drive has faced similar hurdles as the Local Government Board said the shortlisted candidates, including Dr Mashakada, do not meet its expectations.