THERE was drama in the Bulawayo City Council chambers on Tuesday when mayor, Martin Moyo ordered ward 28 councillor, Collet Ndlovu, to go out and dress properly before attending a full council meeting, accusing him of being improperly dressed.
BY KHANYILE MLOTSHWA
Moyo claimed Ndlovu had breached the council’s dress code, which prescribes a formal suit.
Ward 4 councillor, Silas Chigora, was the first to raise the issue, drawing the mayor’s attention to Ndlovu’s attire.
“I am raising on a point of order. When we were sworn in, we were told that all councillors should be dressed properly. Men put on a tie and a suit,” he said.
“May I point to you (mayor) that councillor Ndlovu is not in a suit. We cannot continue with this meeting when someone is not properly dressed.”
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Ndlovu, who was wearing a navy-blue pair of trousers, a shirt, a tie and a designer striped jacket that did not match his trousers, however, insisted he was properly dressed for the occasion.
However, the mayor said it was important for him to wear a standard suit for council meetings and ordered that he leave the chambers.
“It is important for us not to introduce our own dress codes. May I kindly ask Ndlovu to leave us. We will meet later for the council in committee meeting,” Moyo said.
Ward 27 councillor, Siboniso Khumalo, attempted to challenge the mayor’s decision, but was overruled.
Ndlovu was later rescued by a council employee, who offered a matching jacket, prompting the mayor to call him back.
“Well, that now looks like a suit, I can allow you to stay,” he said.
Bulawayo City Council still largely operates on the basis of by-laws and policies that were left by the colonial authorities in April 1980 when the country won its independence.
The city maintains Victorian British decorum around the handling of its meetings and other civic functions.
The definitions of vendors and loitering are still steeped in sexist and racist colonial terms. Ends.