Suspension reports make Harare councillors jittery

investigations.
Four councillors were recently expelled.
Councillors Silas Machetu, Maxwell Katsande, Paul Gorekore and Johnson Zaranyika took Minister Chombo to the High Court where their appeal against dismissal was granted.
But Minister Chombo appealed to the Supreme Court which quashed the lower court’s decision, resulting in the dismissal of the four councillors.
Harare councillors last week sent emissaries to Minister Chombo.
The councillors quizzed journalists and anyone they thought could have links to the Minister to establish if they were also targeted.
Reports that the MDC-T compiled a list of councillors it wanted suspended and forwarded it to Minister Chombo added to the uncertainty.
During a full council meeting on Thursday last week, Clr Friday Muleya kept on reminding his colleagues to stick to procedures or risk being suspended.
He did not want his colleagues to short circuit certain procedures in the awarding of tenders.
“Remember, Minister Chombo is investigating the operations of the procurement board,” he said.
Clr Thomas Muzuva warned his colleagues that Minister Chombo would not hesitate to suspend the council if it does wrong.
“We want to finish our term as a team. Do not say we were not told,” he said.
Throughout the full council meeting, caution was the hallmark of debate as councillors chose not to antagonise Government and instead implored each other to stick to issues that had a bearing on service delivery.
Clr Herbert Gomba reminded Mayor Muchadeyi Masunda on several occasions to redirect debate so that it focused on service delivery.
Minister Chombo said the MDC-T asked him to deal with 13 of its councillors in Harare, while his ministry identified 17 others fingered in acts of corruption.