Gweru City Council paying salaries for 2 town clerks

Munyaradzi Musiiwa, Midlands Correspondent 

SUSPENDED Gweru Town Clerk, Ms Elizabeth Gwatipedza has started receiving her full salary and benefits that the council sought to cut pending a hearing.

Ms Gwatipedza is facing among other allegations negligence of duty, incompetence and mismanagement. The local authority had suspended her without salary and benefits and also withheld her newly acquired vehicle. Ms Gwatipedza, through her lawyer Mr Valentine Mutatu of Mutatu and Partners Legal Practitioners, challenged the council’s decision and argued that she was still a full employee of Gweru City Council and was still entitled to all her benefits.

“I can confirm that Ms Gwatipedza is getting her full employment benefits while on suspension. She was suspended on October 14 and she is getting her salary. This was after we convinced council that she was still entitled to her benefits until proven guilty,” said Mr Mutatu.

Ms Gwatipedza is still going through a hearing process and is expected to submit her defence next week before the disciplinary authority reaches a verdict. 

Gweru Mayor Councillor Josiah Makombe could neither deny nor confirm the reports.

“It is an issue that is being handled by our legal teams since it is still before the disciplinary hearing, I can’t talk about it,” he said.

Ms Gwatipedza was suspended in October by Clr Makombe a few days after the two had an altercation during a full council meeting where the mayor accused her of misleading him into making an undertaking with the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works. Clr Makombe said Ms Gwatipedza faced a number of allegations which include failure to co-ordinate, monitor and supervise all departments thereby resulting in employees working in silos which consequently affected service delivery.

Chamber Secretary Mr Vakai Douglas Chikwekwe was appointed acting Town Clerk. Ironically Mr Chikwekwe was in the process of being suspended by Ms Gwatipedza over alleged abuse of council resources after allegedly fraudulently claiming more than 4 500 litres of fuel worth more than $70 000.