The Sunday News
Vusumuzi Dube, Online News Editor
THE Bulawayo City Council-owned Bulawayo Municipal Commercial Undertaking (BMCU) has started the process of searching for a new board chairperson, after the expiry of Mr Concern Joshua Sibanda’s term.
BMCU runs Ingwebu Breweries and council operated farms in the city.
According to a council confidential report, Mr Sibanda, a human resources specialist, had served more than three terms as a board member, four of which was the chairperson.
“The current board chairperson for Ingwebu Breweries, Mr Concern Joshua Sibanda is a human resources specialist and was elected into the board based on that particular skill.
His term of office expired on 31 December 2021, as per council resolution of 2 December 2020.
“He had currently served more than three terms and council would like to thank him tremendously for sacrificing his time to serve on the board and contributed to the strategic issues of Ingwebu Breweries.
It had been a worthwhile relationship between him, Ingwebu Breweries and council and this had positively contributed to the improvements which were currently being witnessed,” reads the report.
The local authority further noted that it was impossible for Mr Sibanda’s term in office to be further extended because already he was the longest serving member in the history of the unit.
“Mr Sibanda would have served a total of seven years and 10 months on the Ingwebu Breweries board. This might be too long a period for one to serve on the board as it blocked new ideas from coming into the organisation.
Also members should be informed that this was the longest period that any board member had ever served in the history of the organisation.
It was therefore, ideal to give an opportunity to new blood to bring in new ideas that would take the organisation forward,” reads the report.
Councillors under the local authority’s business committee have since been tasked with coming up with Curriculum Vitaes of potential board members who are in the field of human resources to be considered for board membership, while an acting board chairperson is appointed from the current serving board.
In the ensuing debate, it was agreed that the current board vice-chairperson and lawyer, Mr Thandaza Masiye Moyo be elevated to the position of acting chairperson until a substantial chairperson is elected.
“The city economic development officer, Mr Kholisani Moyo, explained that the current board had a vice- chairperson who could take over in the meantime. He was serving his first term.
The chamber secretary, Mrs Sikhangele Zhou advised that the board had a structure. The vice-chairperson could chair up until a substantive chairperson was appointed.
In this case, council should not be involved if a new chairman was not being appointed,” reads the report.
