News / National
Zvishavane town clerk, accountant fired
24 Apr 2016 at 17:12hrs | Views
ZVISHAVANE Town Council has suspended town secretary Mr Tinoda Mukutu for alleged insubordination after he allegedly dithered on implementing several council resolutions.
Director of housing Mr Nhlanhla Ngwenya has since been appointed acting town secretary. One of the council resolutions Mr Mukutu is accused to have dallied on implementing is the suspension of director of finance Mr George Jongoni over allegations of embezzling council funds.
Mr Mutuku's suspension effected the suspension of Mr Jongoni which councillors resolved on following an audit of the local authority's books last year. Mr Jongoni has also been under fire from the local authority's workers who accuse him of not forwarding their funeral insurance contributions to the relevant companies.
In a letter to Mr Mukutu, Zvishavane Town Council chairman Councillor Esau Gwatipedza Dube accused Mr Mukutu of continuously defying the instructions and orders of councillors.
Reads part of the letter "Acting in terms of Section 139 3(a) of the Urban Councils Act Chapter 29:15, it has appeared to the chairman of the Zvishavane Town Council that you have continuously been defying my instructions and orders of the council inter alia allegations, to the extent that I found it fit and desirable to act in terms of Section 3 (a) of the said Act and I therefore suspend you from office forthwith and you are required to leave Zvishavane Town Council office forthwith".
Mr Mukutu will, however, be entitled to his full salary and allowances should he be found innocent.
"If you are not discharged subsequently you shall be entitled to your full salary and allowances that would otherwise have been paid to you in respect of the period of your suspension less any allowances paid to you in respect of the period of paragraph (b) of subsection 5 Section 139," reads part of the suspension letter.
Clr Dube told Sunday News last week that a full council meeting will be held on Tuesday to come up with a hearing date for the matter. Zvishavane Town Council lost $112 000 allegedly to a syndicate which involved a bar manager and officials in the local authority's finance department. The local authority runs two beer halls, Mandava and Kubatana Beer Bardens.
Prejudice of council funds was discovered last year following an audit of the local authority's books leading to the arrest of Mr Russell Mukaranda, the bar manager.
Councillors pressed for further investigations into the embezzlement case and resolved to suspend the finance director, whom they felt had a case, to pave way for the investigations.
The local authority also lost $12 000 to a cashier, a case councillors felt the finance director could provide answers.
However, Mr Mukutu was reluctant to implement the resolution to suspend Mr Jogoni arguing that the case, if not properly handled, could come back to haunt the local authority which is already saddled with labour litigations.
Zvishavane Town Council has already lost over
$100 000 after it lost a case of unlawful dismissal of former chief executive officer Mr Alfonse Chimombe.
Mr Mukutu told the councillors during a recent full council meeting that Mr Chimombe was now demanding a house and a vehicle from council as part of his claims.
"It is also crucial to note that the current litigation cases where council was pumping out a lot of money in the case between Zvishavane Town Council vs Mr Alfonse Chimombe was as a result of poor articulation of disciplinary procedures. To date council has paid over $100 000 to Mr Chimombe and in his current court papers he is demanding a house and a vehicle from council," he said.
Mr Mukutu said council was likely to lose $500 000 in a similar case involving Mrs Linia Msipa and others.
"We have several of these labour cases pending in the Labour Court and the most notable one besides the one mentioned above is that of Zvishavane Town Council vs Linia Msipa and others. As the new management team we found this case raging in the courts and if we are to lose this case, we will have to fork out more than $500 000," Mr Mukutu told the councillors.
Mr Mukutu's suspension has since been brought before the attention of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Saviour Kasukuwere.
Director of housing Mr Nhlanhla Ngwenya has since been appointed acting town secretary. One of the council resolutions Mr Mukutu is accused to have dallied on implementing is the suspension of director of finance Mr George Jongoni over allegations of embezzling council funds.
Mr Mutuku's suspension effected the suspension of Mr Jongoni which councillors resolved on following an audit of the local authority's books last year. Mr Jongoni has also been under fire from the local authority's workers who accuse him of not forwarding their funeral insurance contributions to the relevant companies.
In a letter to Mr Mukutu, Zvishavane Town Council chairman Councillor Esau Gwatipedza Dube accused Mr Mukutu of continuously defying the instructions and orders of councillors.
Reads part of the letter "Acting in terms of Section 139 3(a) of the Urban Councils Act Chapter 29:15, it has appeared to the chairman of the Zvishavane Town Council that you have continuously been defying my instructions and orders of the council inter alia allegations, to the extent that I found it fit and desirable to act in terms of Section 3 (a) of the said Act and I therefore suspend you from office forthwith and you are required to leave Zvishavane Town Council office forthwith".
Mr Mukutu will, however, be entitled to his full salary and allowances should he be found innocent.
"If you are not discharged subsequently you shall be entitled to your full salary and allowances that would otherwise have been paid to you in respect of the period of your suspension less any allowances paid to you in respect of the period of paragraph (b) of subsection 5 Section 139," reads part of the suspension letter.
Clr Dube told Sunday News last week that a full council meeting will be held on Tuesday to come up with a hearing date for the matter. Zvishavane Town Council lost $112 000 allegedly to a syndicate which involved a bar manager and officials in the local authority's finance department. The local authority runs two beer halls, Mandava and Kubatana Beer Bardens.
Prejudice of council funds was discovered last year following an audit of the local authority's books leading to the arrest of Mr Russell Mukaranda, the bar manager.
The local authority also lost $12 000 to a cashier, a case councillors felt the finance director could provide answers.
However, Mr Mukutu was reluctant to implement the resolution to suspend Mr Jogoni arguing that the case, if not properly handled, could come back to haunt the local authority which is already saddled with labour litigations.
Zvishavane Town Council has already lost over
$100 000 after it lost a case of unlawful dismissal of former chief executive officer Mr Alfonse Chimombe.
Mr Mukutu told the councillors during a recent full council meeting that Mr Chimombe was now demanding a house and a vehicle from council as part of his claims.
"It is also crucial to note that the current litigation cases where council was pumping out a lot of money in the case between Zvishavane Town Council vs Mr Alfonse Chimombe was as a result of poor articulation of disciplinary procedures. To date council has paid over $100 000 to Mr Chimombe and in his current court papers he is demanding a house and a vehicle from council," he said.
Mr Mukutu said council was likely to lose $500 000 in a similar case involving Mrs Linia Msipa and others.
"We have several of these labour cases pending in the Labour Court and the most notable one besides the one mentioned above is that of Zvishavane Town Council vs Linia Msipa and others. As the new management team we found this case raging in the courts and if we are to lose this case, we will have to fork out more than $500 000," Mr Mukutu told the councillors.
Mr Mukutu's suspension has since been brought before the attention of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Saviour Kasukuwere.
Source - sundaynews
