Bongani Ndlovu
Mkhululi Ncube
Bulawayo Mayor Councillor David Coltart has explained why councillors refused to sign the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) Integrity Pledges, saying the decision was driven by the need for clarity and proper consultation.
The City of Bulawayo, Gwanda Municipality, and Plumtree Town Council, led by the Mayors/Chairpersons, Town Clerks/Town Secretaries, Councillors, and Heads of Departments, were all expected to sign the documents.
However, when the forms were handed to Bulawayo councillors, they declined to sign, demanding that a workshop be held beforehand. The councillors went to the committee room to deliberate further on the matter.
Speaking after a caucus in the Council Chambers on Monday, Councillor Coltart said the councillors were caught unprepared, noting that the invitation to ZACC had been directed to City Management and only came to his attention late last week.
“Whilst it is correct that the invitation to ZACC came from our management, unfortunately our management only heard from ZACC on Thursday. I was only advised on Friday as mayor — and that was not management’s fault,” he said.
“Our invitation was for a training for management and for our ethics committee. When that invitation was extended, there was no discussion regarding the signing of the pledge.”
Councillor Coltart explained that neither he nor the councillors had adequate time to review the pledge before being expected to sign it.
“As a fellow lawyer, you know the warning of caveat scriptal — you are warned about what you sign. The councillors do not want to sign something that they have not read themselves, in a quiet and peaceful way, not in a rushed way,” he said.
He added that councillors also want their own ethics committee’s training to be completed before signing, noting that the training runs through Wednesday.
Only after that workshop do councillors plan to hold a discussion to fully understand what was covered and its implications.
Councillor Coltart said the decision to delay signing does not reflect a lack of commitment to ethics or anti-corruption efforts.
“We are absolutely committed to running this council ethically. We are absolutely committed to supporting ZACC in its endeavours,” he said.
He likened rushing to sign the pledge to a marriage without understanding the commitment. “If you just sign off on a marriage without thinking it through and knowing what you are undertaking, it means that you are adopting a very frivolous and superficial approach,” Councillor Coltart said.
Online Reporter