NEW: Council in eye of the storm over chamber secretary appointment

Zimpapers Politics Hub

THE Harare City Council is in the eye of a storm after some members of its management attempted to stop processes to fill the vacant post of the chamber secretary.

Public interviews for the post were held in March this year, with five candidates, acting chamber secretary Mr Warren Chiwawa, Ms Charity Maunga, Ms Alice Zeure, Mr Ernest Mushava and Ms Angeline Mudada vying for the post.

Following the preliminary interviews, Mr Chiwawa, Ms Maunga and Mr Mushava made it to the top three and were due to undergo the final selection process this week.

However, on Tuesday the city’s human resources committee reportedly received instructions from Local Government Board Chairperson, Mr Stephen Chakaipa, to nullify the results of the interviews.

Harare City Council human resources committee chairperson, Councillor George Mjajati confirmed the developments.

“I can confirm that there was an attempt to nullify the interviews and we found that to be strange and refused to take the instructions,” he said.

Contacted for comment, Mr Chakaipa referred questions to the Mayor of Harare, Councillor Jacob Mafume.

However, the Mayor said any bid to nullify the interviews was improper.

“It would be irregular to take such a step to nullify the results,” said Councillor Mafume.

“We went through a legal process in conducting the interviews. The process that we conducted is still binding and we will not accept any bid to nullify the interviews.”

Harare has been operating without a substantive chamber secretary since the departure of Mrs Josephine Ncube in 2018.