Byo Town Clerk dies

Auxilia Katongomara Chronicle Reporter—
BULAWAYO City Council Town Clerk, Middleton Nyoni, has died. He was 62. Nyoni, who had been battling cancer for some time, died on Sunday. He had been on sick leave since last year. In a statement yesterday, Bulawayo Mayor, Councillor Martin Moyo, said Nyoni died at a Harare hospital where he was receiving treatment.

Clr Moyo said Nyoni played a key role in enhancing the city’s reputation of efficiency and transparency in running its affairs.

“During his time as Town Clerk, Nyoni was responsible for leading the City of Bulawayo into the new millennium and ensured that the City was kept abreast of the changes and developments in local governance. He was also key in enhancing the City’s reputation of efficiency and transparency and ensured that Bulawayo City Council continued to provide quality services with its core business albeit with limited resources,” said Clr Moyo.

The mayor said some of the major achievements that occurred during Nyoni’s term of office were the establishment of the first local authority Call Centre, development of the first Water and Waste Water Master plan, and the setting up of the City of Bulawayo’s Geographic Information System Office. “He was also passionate about the quarterly prayer meetings of the City of Bulawayo with residents and various denominations. Under his leadership he also reinforced Bulawayo’s reputation of being the best managed local authority in the country .”

Before joining council, Nyoni worked as an English teacher at Ihlathi Secondary School between 1974 and 1977 having studied at Mutare Teacher’s College. He then left for the United States in 1978 where he studied at Morehouse College, Atlanta before transferring to the University of Colorado in the city of Greely, where he studied for a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration majoring in Accounting.

He graduated in 1982. He did his Master of Business Administration Degree at the National University of Science and Technology and graduated in 1999. He worked as a Junior Trainee Accountant at the Joint Diseases North General Hospital in New York, USA between 1982 and 1983.

Nyoni then joined the City of Bulawayo as Section Accounting Officer — Audit on December 1, 1983. He held various positions in council which included senior accounting officer, principal accountant dealing with main accounts, assistant city treasurer, deputy city treasurer and city treasurer.

He was appointed Town Clerk on May 6, 2009, a position he held until his death. Chamber Secretary, Sikhangele Zhou, has been acting town clerk since Nyoni’s health deteriorated. When The Chronicle visited Nyoni’s home in Woodlands yesterday afternoon a few relatives had gathered. Nyoni’s widow and other relatives were on their way from Harare.

He is survived by wife, Thabiso, (nee Phaswana) and four children. Mourners are gathered at Number 5 Inglewood Place, Woodlands, Bulawayo.