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Municipal Reporter
Opposition-led Harare City Council drama continued this week as councillors yet again snubbed a full council meeting apparently rejecting suspended Mayor Jacob Mafume who reportedly forced himself back into the council preferring acting Mayor Musarurwa Mutizwa.
As things stand there are ‘two mayors’ at the council leaving not only councillors, but management officials in a quandary as no major decision can be taken for now without the holding of a full council meeting.
Harare City Council spokesperson Mr Michael Chideme yesterday said the meeting failed to start “due to lack of a quorum.”
Acting Mayor Mutizwa said the meeting would have been illegal if Mafume chaired.
“The meeting failed as Mafume insisted that he wanted to chair it, but since he has pending criminal cases , we could not proceed as it would have been illegal.
“The meeting was cancelled to a later date,” he said.
Mafume, however, yesterday insisted that there was nothing amiss about reporting for duty with pending criminal cases.
“The full council meeting failed to kick off due to lack of a quorum. I have been in office over the past weeks and remain in office as the mayor.
“My criminal cases have nothing to do with my coming to work as labour and criminal issues are different,” he said.
Mafume said if there is anyone acting, there is nothing unusual about that as any councillor present at any given event may act on the mayor’s behalf.
However, councillors who spoke to this publication on condition of anonymity said efforts to negotiate with both Mafume and Cllr Mutizwa to reach a consensus were fruitless.
“The chairpersons of council committees held a caucus meeting to convince both Mafume and Mutizwa not to chair the meeting and second someone so that council business proceeds, nothing materialised.
“No one was willing to give in so as councillors we just decided to boycott the meeting,” said one of the councillors.
Another councillor said Mafume was just forcing himself since his return, council business is now at a halt.
“Since the return of Mafume there has never been a quorum for the full council meeting. That in itself should send a clear message to him that we are sceptical of his return until there is a formal communication.
“His argument is that his suspension lapsed, but it is clear that like any other officials suspended, including city directors they are not coming to work until their criminal cases have been finalised as there is greater risk of interfering with witnesses,” said the councillor.
If the impasse continues ,it means the local authority will likely take forever without making key city decisions which are supposed to be rubber stamped during a full council meeting, the city’s highest decision making body.
Local Government and Public Works Minister July Moyo last year suspended Mafume both as a mayor and a councillor pending the outcome of his criminal trials, including the allocation of council stands to his sister and law firm’s secretary.
The other case involved bribing a potential key witness.
Clr Mutizwa was appointed the city’s mayor unanimously following the arrest, recall and suspension of successive mayors, including Herbert Gomba and his deputy Enock Mupamawonde.
Their successors, Mafume and his deputy Luckson Mukunguma were also arrested and suspended.
Online Reporter