The Sunday News
Vusumuzi Dube, Municipal Reporter
THE City of Bulawayo once again failed to confer the Freedom of the City Award with reports that a majority of the councillors did not bother to consult their residents on people they felt deserved civic honours.
The Freedom of the City Award, is the highest honour a local authority could bestow upon persons in terms of paragraph 52 of the Urban Councils Act, Chapter 29:15 while civic honours are awarded for community work and not for activities carried out during the course of a person’s normal duties for which he or she was paid and due recognition given in terms of that person’s contract.
Such activities should be over and above one’s work. However, the city once again failed to award the Freedom of the City honour but only managed to issue a single civic honour award amid revelations that just one of the sitting councillors made a submission for the civic honour although it was eventually turned down.
Prominent Bulawayo businessman and former Zanu-PF councillor Mr Mohamed Esat was eventually the only one awarded with a civic honour. Council sources revealed that only Ward 10 Councillor, Gladys Masuku responded to the call by council to forward possible candidates to receive the civic honour, with her nomination of Ndolwane Super Sounds, however, being turned down as fellow councillors felt that they were receiving financial rewards for their works.
“Former Ward One Councillor, Edward Manning’s submission of Mr Esat was the only one which was approved as it was felt Mr Esat’s profile was befitting for him to be awarded with this honour. Mr Manning made the request to council as an individual. It was, however, disappointing that none of the other councillors heeded to the call for the submission of names, as this showed that they did not consult their wards, this despite postponing the deadline for the submissions twice,” said the source.
When the award ceremony was parked about nine years ago, the late Vice-President of Zimbabwe, Cde Landa John Nkomo was set to receive the Freedom of the City Award while former Bulawayo Councillor Joram Ndebele had been set to receive a civic honour award. Mr Ndebele had beaten disability rights activists and former mayor, who is now Special Advisor to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Cde Joshua Teke Malinga.
Responding to questions on the failure to award the Freedom of the City honour, council spokesperson, Mrs Nesisa Mpofu said they did not get any nomination.
“There was no motion for the Freedom of the City this year. Please note that the honour is not necessarily awarded annually, but as and when the city receives a motion for deserving members. As for civic honours, council considered two nominations but found only Mr Esat to meet the criteria. Since the passing of the resolution by council on 3 June 1963, over 70 names of Bulawayo residents have been awarded this honour,” said Mrs Mpofu.
According to council by-laws, August councillors are expected to draw up a list of nominees for the civic honours but the matter has been continuously postponed for over nine years after the council’s decision to award the late Vice-President John Nkomo was controversially shelved after then Deputy Prime Minister now a leader of a faction of the MDC-T, Dr Thokozani Khupe had allegedly ordered the local authority to block the move.
Since 1980 the city has conferred six Freedom of the City accolades and 54 civic honours. Among those that got the Freedom of the City awards are President Mugabe (23 July 1986), Bulawayo District Zimbabwe National Army (3 March 1989), One Brigade Zimbabwe National Army (3 March 1989), the late Vice-President Dr Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo (27 February 1992), former South Africa President Thabo Mbeki (5 May 2000), and the late Vice-President Joseph Msika (25 August 2006).
