Town Clerk Candidate for Harare Demands Transparency in Recruitment Process

Harare Residents Trust has claimed that it has established that when suspended  Harare Mayor Bernard Manyenyeni proceeded to offer James Mushore the position of town clerk the other candidates who were interviewed for the same post were kept guessing what was their performance in the interviews.

"As the HRT continuous on its path to expose all the challenges and opportunities in the recruitment of a new Town Clerk, information that we have now gathered is that while the Mayor of Harare, Councillor Manyenyeni proceeded to offer  Mushore the position of Town Clerk, the other two candidates Jacob Kudzayi Mutisi and  Godfrey Pasipanodya who came second and third respectively during the interview process, have no idea how they performed during the process besides reading the results announced in the media," said the trust.

"The two are waiting to be invited by the Local Government Board in order to complete the recruitment process for the Town Clerk. The HRT is expecting that the City of Harare should submit the names of the three candidates who scored the highest during the interview process, including Mr James Mushore to the Local Government Board to complete the recruitment process."

The trust said the recruitment of the Town Clerk, the Chamber Secretary, heads of departments and their deputies, are guided in terms of Sections 131, 132, 133 and 134 of the Urban Councils Act (Chapter 29.15), which, which has the backing of the Constitution in terms of Section 265 (1) (a), (b), (c) and (d).

"All local government institutions should not work in isolation with each other. As the matter intensifies, and Town House does not have a substantive Town Clerk, the HRT, on behalf of its constituents, can no longer wait for long for the City Council to make a determination, on this matter, and will have to act on the advice of legal advisors," said the trust.

"The HRT is pursuing this matter, and ensure that the position of Town Clerk is not politicised to the extent that politicians hold the citizens at ransom while service delivery continues to plummet. We also urge the three candidates Mushore, Mutisi and Pasipanodya to de4mand that the process be completed fairly and transparently as required in terms of the law to end the confusion engulfing Town House."

The trust said Christopher Mbanga, Acting Mayor insists that Mrs Josephine Ncube, who is the Chamber Secretary, is the Acting Town Clerk (Herald, 2 June 2016, Mushore torches storm at Town House).

"Similarly, Saviour Kasukuwere, the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing is on record saying the Government was not against  Mushore's appointment, but he must be subjected to the necessary vetting processes in compliance with the Urban Councils Act," said the trust.

"We rescinded their decision in the first instance which related to the illegal hiring of the Town Clerk. The status quo remains. Mushore has no business at Town House," Kasukuwere said.

One of the candidates said: "Why is the Mayor unwilling to send the names of the top three candidates as required by the law to the Local Government Board? We are prepared to be subjected to the scrutiny of the Local Government Board, because any one of us can be appointed as Town Clerk,"