The Sunday News
Vusumuzi Dube, Municipal Reporter
MDC-Alliance on Friday summoned a number of its councillors in Bulawayo for interviews in Harare for the post of mayor and deputy, it has been established.
Bulawayo is set to have a new mayor and deputy following the recent harmonised elections. Former Mayor Alderman Martin Moyo, who was contesting as an independent candidate, lost the polls while ex-Deputy Mayor Gift Banda was elected as the Njube-Lobengula legislator.
The party has reportedly demanded to have a hand on the selection process of mayors and deputies in the municipalities they control, inclusive of Harare and Bulawayo hence the conducting of the interviews.
According to sources the interviews were conducted the party’s chief-of-staff Mr Sesel Zvidzai, former Harare Mayor Mr Bernard Manyenyeni, the party’s youth assembly secretary-general Mr Lovemore Chinoputsa and national standing committee member Mr Mandla Sibanda.
Five councillors are reportedly gunning for the topmost positions, these including Clrs Samuel Mnguni, Silas Chigora, Ernest Rafomoyo, Clayton Zana and Norman Hlabani. Of the five Clr Mnguni is the front-runner owing to his professional background of being a practising lawyer.
However, he is expected to be given stiff competition from Clrs Chigora and Rafomoyo, both of whom have been serving councillors, while Clr Mnguni is in his first term. For the Deputy Mayor position it’s a battle of the youth and women where the youngest councillor, Clr Mlandu Ncube will battle it out with Clr Rodney Jele, Clr Tinashe Kambarami, Clr Felix Mhaka and Clr Lilian Mlilo.
Clr Jele is so far a front-runner for the position but will have to shrug off the ambitious Clr Mhaka who is in his first term as councillor but has the backing of senior party provincial members.
Contacted for comment, the party’s Bulawayo provincial chairperson, Mr Gift Banda confirmed that Bulawayo councillors interested in the topmost positions were in Harare for the interviews.
“Yes, they are in Harare, this is just our policy as a party, if you remember even when we were elected we underwent a similar process,” said Mr Banda.
Meanwhile, Bulawayo City Council (BCC) spokesperson, Mrs Nesisa Mpofu revealed that in terms of the law the mayor and deputy mayor are elected in the first sitting of council in a meeting that is chaired by the provincial administrator.
“The Mayor is elected in terms of Section 103 of the Urban Council’s Act Chapter 29:15 as read with Section 277 (2) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe Number 20 of 2013. In terms of this legislation, the first meeting of Council is chaired by the Provincial Administrator. In that meeting, elected Councillors elect one among themselves to be Mayor and another to be Deputy Mayor. Each councillor has one vote for each post.
“The Provincial Administrator does not vote (has no voting rights) and only chairs the meeting. The Town Clerk and Chamber Secretary while in attendance and the latter taking record of proceedings are not active participants at this meeting. They may assist with logistic arrangements,” said Mrs Mpofu.
