The Sunday News
Vusumuzi Dube, Online News Editor
LAWYERS representing suspended City of Bulawayo director of health services, Dr Edwin Sibanda have declared that he will resume his duties tomorrow (Wednesday) after the local authority twice failed to convene the disciplinary hearing.
Dr Sibanda was suspended last month for alleged incompetency.
This came after the continued deteriorating environmental status in the city which the Town Clerk, Mr Christopher Dube partly attributed to Dr Sibanda for failing to run the health services department, under which the Environmental section falls under.
However, it has since been revealed that the local authority has on two occasions failed to convene the disciplinary hearing, in the first instance with consent from both council management and Dr Sibanda’s lawyers, Dube Legal Practice.
On the second occasion, which was today (Tuesday) the local authority totally failed to convene the disciplinary meeting.
“On the 25th of January 2023, on the 14th day of our client’s suspension, this matter was postponed to the 14th of February 2023 at 9am by mutual consent. To our surprise, today when our client and his legal team availed themselves for the hearing, we were shocked to discover that there was no hearing as the Committee had not been convened for the 14th of February 2023.
“As you are aware the lapse of the 14 day period means the proceedings are automatically terminated against our client. Consequently, he will resume his duties tomorrow (Wednesday) the 15th of February at 8am,” reads a letter from Dr Sibanda’s lawyers to the local authority.
The lawyers further demanded that Dr Sibanda’s salary and all other benefits that accrued to him during the suspension period must be paid to him with immediate effect.
