Chawatama stands accused of assuming the town clerk duties
last year in December without following proper appointment procedures since the
suspension of substantive town clerk Engineer Hosiah Chisango.
He made the headlines recently after allegedly escaping a
high speed police chase near Chitungwiza and is wanted by the law enforcements
agents for assuming town clerk duties unlawfully.
Through his lawyers Zinyengerere Rupapa Legal
Practitioners, Chawatama last week wrote to the Acting Mayor Stewart Mutizwa
telling him that he became a “de facto town clerk” by virtue of being the only
substantive head of department on duty after acting town clerk Dr Prosper
Chonzi took a brief leave.
Chawatama, who has since applied for leave himself,
allegedly harassed and suspended council workers during his brief
“self-appointed reign” as town clerk.
“On December 8, Dr Chonzi appointed our client to the
position of acting town clerk in his absence as he was attending to some
council business,” reads part of the letter from his lawyers.
“The appointment was supposedly for two days, being the 9th
and 10th of December.
“On his return, Dr Chonzi applied for and went for leave
leaving our client as the de facto town clerk in the absence of any other
substantive departmental head competent to assume and serve office.
“Your office embraced our client’s discharge of duties
relating to his acting position.”
In the letter, Engineer Chawatama who is rejecting claims
that he is on the run also disclosed that law enforcement agents raided his
colleague’s house in Borrowdale, Harare looking for him.
The lawyers claimed that two people from the law
enforcement agents that attended his office on February 1 supposedly looking
for him have not contacted him to date.
“They met his personal assistant and here maintained
communication with her and in the course of same advised her that our client is
not wanted by the police.
“It is ironic that on the 9th of February 2021, the same
gentlemen who met our client’s PA attended at House Number 2 Armadale in
Borrowdale (Harare) were a Council employee by the name Shiripinda who works in
the Council police stays. They arrived in typical movie style and ransacked her
house allegedly searching for our client. They have not attended at his
Waterfalls house to date where he resides.
“That said, we put on record that our client is available
to attend to your office for any Council related business for which his
obtaining leave cannot wait. He is not a fugitive.”
Acting Mayor Mutizwa however, told our publication that
claims that Chawatama acted unlawfully an unfounded smokescreen. “He has gone
on leave, he is not on the run,” he said.
“All these claims are just a smokescreen, how can someone
appoint himself to a position? These are just people bent on tarnishing his
image.” Herald
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