Vusumuzi DubeLeonard Ncube, [email protected]
Victoria Falls City councillors have responded to a government directive to rescind their resolution that suspended Town Clerk Mr Ronnie Dube, who is set to return to work on Monday following the reversal of his suspension.
Mr Dube was suspended on 2 December by Victoria Falls Mayor, Councillor Prince Thuso Moyo, who cited Section 29(3) of the Urban Councils Act. The mayor alleged multiple complaints of abuse of office and corruption against Mr Dube.
Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe declared the suspension non-procedural and unsupported by policy. He instructed the councillors to rescind their resolution and reinstate the Town Clerk.
Successive council meetings failed to implement the government directive until Tuesday, when councillors convened a special council meeting. One of the meetings lacked a quorum, as only five of the 11 elected councillors attended, while another could not discuss the issue due to the mayor’s absence, who was in possession of the letter from the minister.
Residents were closely watching the situation, opposing the reinstatement of the Town Clerk and putting councillors in a difficult position between following the government directive and satisfying the electorate.
The council had set up two bodies of inquiry to investigate the allegations and had presented a report advising the local authority to proceed with an internal disciplinary hearing against Mr Dube.
The mayor chaired a special full council meeting that rescinded the resolution on Tuesday, paving the way for normalcy and harmony, as directed by Minister Garwe.
The minister stated that the suspension contravened Section 139 of the Urban Councils Act and invoked Section 314 of the same Act to reverse the resolution. The final decision was to rescind the suspension of the Town Clerk, allowing him to resume work on Monday, 6 January.
In December, residents, under the civic consortium comprising the Victoria Falls Combined Residents Association (Vifacora) and Hwange District Residents Association (HWADRA), convened a series of meetings over the issue.
Mr Herbert Ncube, chair of HWADRA, emphasised that residents would remain steadfast in their resolution to hold public office leaders accountable.
Vifacora chair Mr Kelvin Moyo acknowledged that the suspension of the Town Clerk has had an impact on the city.
“The impact of the events in Victoria Falls is that everyone is worried to know what exactly is happening and what can be done to alleviate the situation. Victoria Falls’ economy depends on tourism and investment, especially with the foreign currency stock exchange here, and we need to create investor confidence. In my view, this is not a personal matter.
“Councillors are elected and have a mandate from the people, so if they see it fit to follow the directive from the government, so be it. That will be judged against residents,” he said.
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