AS the battle to fill Harare City Council’s town clerk position intensifies, mayor, Bernard Manyenyeni has written to the Local Government Board and Parliament to express reservations over the upcoming final round of selection for the job.
BY OBEY MANAYITI
Three candidates – MDC-T Hatfield MP, Tapiwa Mashakada, Harare City Council human capital director, Cainos Chingombe and Gweru town clerk, Elizabeth Gwatipedza – are vying for the post.
Mashakada came up tops in the interviews with 1 534 points followed by Chingombe (1 394) and Gwatipedza on 1 228 points.
But Local Government minister Saviour Kasukuwere has expressed his unhappiness over Mashakada’s candidature, claiming it was not possible to hire politicians for the town clerk’s job.
It has been alleged that Kasukuwere is trying to pressurise the Local Government Board to disqualify or fail Mashakada at the next stage of selection.
This has prompted the mayor to write to register his protest with the Local Government Board, which does the final selection.
In an interview yesterday, Manyenyeni said although they had done their part in shortlisting the three, he had lodged a protest regarding allegations that Kasukuwere was trying to influence against the fair selection of the town clerk.
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“Yes, I wrote a letter to the Local Government Board chairman and the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Local Government chairperson, Irene Zindi. The minister’s remarks are aimed at eliminating the candidate, who has merited the job,” he said.
However, Zindi said she had not yet received the letter from Manyenyeni.
Manyenyeni’s tenure as Harare mayor has been clouded by a series of contestations over the town clerk’s job. After the former town clerk, Tendai Mahachi was sacked, the council hired former banker, James Mushore, who was hounded out by Kasukuwere.
Already Kasukuwere has seemingly disapproved of the council’s preferred candidate, Mashakada.
Residents have continuously accused Harare City Council of failing to deliver on their expected service delivery, while the city councillors blame the ministry for meddling in their affairs, thereby paralysing service delivery.
