Bulawayo councillors clash with Town Clerk

Bulawayo councillors last week clashed with Town Clerk Christopher Dube after he sought to overturn a previous council decision on his contract extension. Dube's initial two-year extension was set to expire this year, but he requested an additional five-year term citing a new Government directive raising the retirement age to 70.

Tensions escalated as Dube bypassed established council procedures, drafting the report himself instead of routing it through the human capital director, and refused to recuse himself from deliberations, contravening council protocol. He also bypassed the General Purposes Committee, citing repeated failures to convene due to a lack of quorum.

In his submission, Dube argued that council had adopted a Ministerial circular raising the retirement age from 65 to 70, and that the lifting of term limits for local authority heads further justified his request. "I am now afraid that my matter may end up out of time because we are now two months from the expiry of my contract," he wrote.

The Mayor, Councillor David Coltart, and Dube declined to comment on the matter. Council sources indicated that councillors intend to seek legal advice before issuing an official position, insisting that the report must follow proper channels.

The Ministry of Local Government and Public Works emphasized that council procedures must be followed. Spokesperson Gabriel Masvora noted that the human resources committee should review reports from the director, make recommendations to council, and that the Town Clerk, as an interested party, should recuse himself from discussions.

The matter remains unresolved as councillors await legal guidance on how to proceed.