BULAWAYO Town Clerk Mr Christopher Dube is back at work
after the municipality engaged a locksmith to unlock his office as Deputy Mayor
Councillor Tinashe Kambarami is still holding on to his keys.
Clr Kambarami and Ward Four councillor Silas Chigora on
Thursday violently removed Mr Dube from his office and locked it saying they
were suspending him from office over various charges including abuse of office.
However, Bulawayo Mayor Solomon Mguni, who was away on study
leave when the incident occurred lifted the alleged suspension last Friday.
But Clr Kambarami did not return Mr Dube’s office keys
until council engaged a locksmith to open the town clerk’s office on Monday
afternoon, Clr Mguni confirmed.
“The office was opened yesterday. We had to get the
services of a locksmith hence the Town Clerk is back in his office,” said Clr
Mguni.
He said Mr Dube through his lawyers had even contemplated
to file an urgent court application to compel Clr Kambarami to open his office.
Clr Mguni said both council management and councillors
should accept that the city is in a crisis that requires them to be level
headed.
“We should admit that we are in a crisis and we need to
engage as both councillors and management and find a common ground. We need to
swallow our pride; arrogance.
Blame game will not help us. We need to find common ground because if we don’t residents
will judge us harshly,” said Clr Mguni.
He said council will look into the allegations levelled
against Mr Dube procedurally so that the case is brought to its logical
conclusion.
Bulawayo Progressive Resident Association (BPRA)
co-ordinator Mr Emmanuel Ndlovu said the fight between councillors and
management is a result of institutionalised corruption that needs to be dealt
with.
“This tiff between staff and councillors is a result of
corruption, tenders being awarded to unfit individuals.
It’s part of the rot that is happening at council and now
they are counter accusing each other of corruption and the question is where
were they when these things were happening?
As residents we want to establish the implications of what
this means for the city,” he said.
Mr Ndlovu said tomorrow residents will meet over the
corruption allegations.
Mr Dube has reportedly angered some councillors after he
resisted their moves to interfere in the local authority’s operations.
The councillors are said to be miffed especially by the
Town Clerk’s refusal to let them interfere in the distribution of the $5
million ward retention fund as well as control the subcommittee on allocation
of stands and premises. Chronicle
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