Bulawayo Town Clerk's 'hands are clean'

BULAWAYO Town Clerk, Mr Christopher Dube, yesterday said his hands are clean but some officials in the local authority will fall due to their corrupt activities.

Mr Dube was recently violently ejected from his office by Deputy Mayor Councillor Tinashe Kambarami working with Ward Four Clr Silas Chigora as they claimed that they were suspending him for abuse of office among other charges.

Bulawayo Mayor Clr Solomon Mguni, however, reinstated the Town Clerk before a special full council ratified the decision.

Opening up for the first time since the fracas, the fiery Mr Dube said his hands are clean.  

"Corruption allegations are there in council and some people will certainly fall either among the management or councillors. The Government is serious about tackling corruption and no one is going to be spared if they are corrupt. Even myself if I'm corrupt I'm not going to be spared," he said.  

"But of course, if I'm corrupt and if I've done something wrong as the Town Clerk, I shouldn't be humiliated, that is nonsense, its thuggery at its worst. There is procedure that should be followed to discipline a Town Clerk. That thuggery that we saw can only happen in a war situation, in countries north of the Equator not in Zimbabwe. I'm hoping that after the investigating committee finishes its investigations, the Ministry is going to take strong measures against the perpetrators of that confusion. You cannot expect City Fathers to behave like activists."  

Mr Dube said councillors can plot to oust him but they have no authority to get him removed from office.

He said he is determined to put the City Fathers in their rightful positions so that they stop interfering with management duties.

"There is a very big problem that we are having now. Issues of turf, councillors have been getting into territory that's not theirs. They don't even understand what they are supposed to do as councillors. We are running council as management. Theirs is to oversee how we do business not to supervise us, to tell us what to do. That is all nonsense, I want to say nonsense," Mr Dube said.

"If management is not running council properly they've the right to remove them and follow proper procedures but not to tell management how to do business. Remember we are professionals. We are hired on merit.

"We are not elected but hired on merit. We are here to advise council but councillors seem to be taking advice from whatever quarter I don't know and for what reason I don't know."

He said councillors should follow procedure when disciplining officials instead of trying to embarrass them.  Mr Dube said in any case he is fired by the Local Government Board not councillors.

"Remember I am appointed by the Local Government Board. It is the appointing authority that will remove me from my office, of course with recommendations coming from council and having been caught on the wrong side of the law. What have I done wrong? These people were trying to embarrass me personally and destabilise management. Whatever they were doing they were putting it on social media," he said.  

"I will be removed by the people of Bulawayo and the Local Government Board and of course with the recommendation of councillors if I have been found on the wrong side of the law."

Mr Dube said he has a duty to protect the interests of Bulawayo.  

"I'm here to do business. I'm doing business of council and I'm doing it without fear of anybody. I don't fear anybody. I respect people. Those who behave like rascals unfortunately I will behave the same to them. In fact when I discuss with my managers to say look I'm overburdened by this thing let me step down. They say if you step down Dube no one will correct this. Before you go correct this and this is what I'm going to do," he said.

"Let me tell you I don't fear anybody, I fear the law. I'm protected by the law and the law also protects the people of Bulawayo. If I'm not doing things right I have to be removed procedurally in terms of the law."