Chinhoyi Municipality’s chamber secretary Abel Gotora and human resources manager Alistair Charuma’s future at the local authority hang in the balance following demands by disgruntled councillors to have them ejected over alleged incompetence and misrepresentation.
The two have courted the ire of councillors who alleged council was constantly losing labour disputes against its workers.
Said Councillor Simeon Gotami during last week’s full council meeting: “These managers are liars. Every time we are faced with a labour matter before the courts they lie to us and give us false assurances council would win, but we have constantly lost cases.
Misrepresentation is a serious and unpardonable crime. These two have committed crimes and should be punished.”
Other councillors concurred, saying council was unnecessarily “losing money fighting losing battles” and noted the trend had become worrisome.
The attack on Gotora and Charuma followed the council’s decision to make a “wholesome” reinstatement of 13 former Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) workers.
It later emerged some of the reinstated workers had already quit council when the 2009 Cabinet decision to transfer water reticulation from Zinwa to councils was reached.
Council would now have to face another legal challenge against those “wrongly” reinstated. The municipality was locked in a bitter legal wrangle with the ex-Zinwa employees claiming a total of $1 582 953 in damages.
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Council described the claims as “outrageous” and was forced to make an umbrella reinstatement on the advice of Gotora and Charuma without assessing each case.
Council resolved to re-engage them than to go for quantification of claims citing the award could be punitive against it.
