The Sunday News
Rutendo Nyeve, Online Reporter
WARD eight councillor, Edwin Ndlovu has been elected as the new Deputy Mayor of Bulawayo.
Clr Ndlovu replaces the recalled Mr Donaldson Mabutho.
The new Deputy Mayor was elected on Tuesday afternoon in a tightly contest race which saw him initially getting equal votes with ward three councillor, Mxolisi Mahlangu. Clrs Ndlovu and Mahlangu were nominated together with Clrs Ntombizodwa Khumalo and Melisa Mabeza.
Clrs Ndlovu and Mahlangu got 10 votes each while Clrs Khumalo and Mabeza got three and two votes respectively. Due to the tie, the council secretariat had to print more ballot papers while some of the councillors engaged in a caucus. After the second round of the election, Clr Ndlovu emerged as the winner.
In an interview after the election, Deputy Mayor Ndlovu said he was ready for the new task and had been preparing for it.
“I have been preparing for it. As the Deputy Mayor, my first role is to assist the Mayor to execute his duties and those of other councilors. Our first priority as we said earlier on is to clean the city. Our city is very dirty and there is no reason to have such a city that is why it is our first priority.
“Secondly, we have to do our oversight role to ensure that all departments work, for example we have got challenges to do with sewer, roads and water amongst others. I have been the Chairperson of the Future Water committee and one of the issues that we were pushing is to have an additional dam for the city of Bulawayo as the ones we have are not adequate and I will continue to push for that as the deputy mayor,” said Deputy Mayor Ndlovu.
He said what is important is unity of purpose, whereby stakeholders from residents, civic organisations, council management and councilors work together to achieve what is best for the city.
@nyeve14
