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Municipal Reporter

THE decision by CCC to elect Councillor Enock Mupamawonde as interim Harare Mayor was done outside the dictates of the law, with Clr Musarurwa Stewart Mutizwa remaining as the acting Mayor, the Government has said.

In a letter dated April 26, 2022, addressed to the acting Harare Town Clerk, Engineer Phakamile Moyo, the Local Government and Public Works acting secretary, Mr Lameck Mudyiwa, said the CCC jumped the gun by electing Clr Mupamawonde.

Mr Mudyiwa said reference was being made to a letter dated April 20, 2022 directed to Local Government and Public Works Minister July Moyo.

“It has come to my attention that on April 22, 2022, an illegal meeting was convened where an acting mayor was elected. We have observed that this meeting which purportedly elected an acting mayor was not properly convened as there was no declaration of vacancy and no notice by the Chamber Secretary to convene the meeting, hence it was illegal,” he said.

Mr Mudyiwa said decisions or resolutions that were made during the meeting are null and void.

“Clr Mutizwa, who has been the acting Mayor, must continue in that acting capacity until Jacob Mafume (suspended Mayor) issues are finalised by the Court and or Tribunal,” he said.

According to the Urban Councils Act, mayoral elections are only held when there is a vacancy of a mayor and in this case, there was no such.

Mayor Jacob Mafume was simply suspended as both mayor and councillor pending the finalisation of his Court cases and a Tribunal investigation.

Minister Moyo set up an Independent Tribunal to probe Mafume, who is facing a litany of allegations, including gross misconduct, gross incompetence and wilful violation of the law.

Mafume is accused of defeating or obstructing the course of justice as defined in Section 184 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act (Chapter 9.23) Section 182 (1)(a).

Meanwhile, CCC councillors yesterday tried to block a council delegation from travelling to Bulawayo for the country’s premier trade showcase, the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF).

The ZITF, which roared into life yesterday, and will be officially opened by President Mnangagwa on Friday, offers Zimbabwean businesses, councils included, a chance to market themselves through the establishment of contacts.

In an illegally constituted meeting at Harare Town House, the CCC councillors resolved to dramatically reduce the number of officials who would attend the ZITF, but the illegal move was stopped by Government.