adminFrom George Maponga in Masvingo
Masvingo City Council has extended retiring town clerk Mr Adolph Gusha’s tenure at Town House for another six months as the local authority struggles to identify a new candidate to steer the city towards its vision to attain world-class city status by 2030.
The long-serving Mr Gusha was initially supposed to call it quits in August last year before his contract was extended to February this year.
This was to give council ample time to identify his successor and also facilitate for a smooth handover-takeover.
However, after that council did not even take advantage of the new leeway to advertise Mr Gusha’s post, an indication the city fathers were not yet looking beyond the incumbent town clerk.
Deputy Mayor Councillor Wellington Mahwende said Mr Gusha had been given another six-month sojourn at Town House.
He cited the absence of a substantive chamber secretary as one of the reasons for the extension of Mr Gusha’s tenure.
A senior council administrative officer, Mr Vitalis Shonhayi, has been acting chamber secretary since last year.
“We have given Mr Gusha a six-month extension to continue as Masvingo town clerk, meaning that his contract will end in August this year,’’ said Clr Mahwende.
‘’As council we felt it would be imprudent to appoint an acting town clerk in place of the retiring Mr Gusha at a time when we are still to have a substantive chamber secretary.”
Cllr Mahwende said his council wanted day-to-day operations at Town House to continue without hitches as the country’s oldest town seeks to leverage on opportunities engendered by President Mnangagwa’s administration that seeks to make Zimbabwe an upper middle income economy by 2030.
Mr Gusha is credited for a number of epoch-making projects in Masvingo city that have changed the face of the country’s oldest town.
Mr Gusha is credited for overseeing the expansion of the town after opening of new suburbs in Zimre Park, Clipsham Views, Runyararo South West and Victoria Ranch, which have helped stem the once runaway housing backlog.
He also presided over implementation of phase one of the water augmentation which eased water woes in the country’s oldest town by increasing pumping and purification capacity to 30 megalitres per day
The city’s road network also underwent major metamorphosis under Mr Gusha’s watch.
Online Reporter