Coltart denies Town Clerk contract extension

Bulawayo Mayor David Coltart has dismissed reports claiming that Town Clerk Christopher Dube has been granted a new contract, describing them as "entirely incorrect" and stemming from an "illegal" meeting.

In a statement released on Friday, Coltart refuted media reports published on November 17 and 20, which suggested that the council met on November 19 and voted to extend Dube's term. "There was no meeting of council on the 19th of November… At no time in my presence was a vote taken in this regard," he said. Coltart also denied claims that he walked out after councillors allegedly voted to renew Dube's contract.

The mayor confirmed that Dube remains on a fixed one-year-two-month contract signed on October 10, 2024, which is set to expire on November 30, 2025. Coltart highlighted ongoing internal disputes over whether Statutory Instrument 197 of 2024, which raised the retirement age for public servants to 70, applies to senior council officials on fixed-term contracts. He warned that extending contracts on that basis could create a precedent allowing employees to demand employment until age 70, imposing significant financial strain on the council.

The matter was referred to the General Purposes Committee, but Coltart said some councillors were intimidated and failed to attend key meetings. He alleged that Dube once threatened him in the presence of the human resources director and deputy mayor, before later issuing a written apology. On October 27, the General Purposes Committee agreed on a compromise: a one-year extension for Dube while seeking legal guidance from the Attorney General on the applicability of SI 197/2024 to fixed-term contracts. This recommendation was presented to the full council on November 5.

Coltart said that the meeting "rapidly degenerated into total disorder," with councillors exchanging insults and threats, forcing him to adjourn under council standing orders. After his departure, a group of councillors reportedly held an "illegal meeting" purporting to extend Dube's contract by five years. Some councillors later confided that they felt "under grave intimidation" during that gathering.

"The ‘resolution' purportedly passed… is illegal and of no force and effect," Coltart said, adding that leaks of internal documents to the media were a "red line" prompting him to clarify the council's position publicly.

He reaffirmed that the General Purposes Committee remains committed to resolving the matter lawfully but warned that "personal interests" and a "climate of fear, threats and intimidation" are undermining effective governance at City Hall.