The ManicaPost
Abel Zhakata Senior Reporter—
AT LEAST 20 candidates have applied to take up the Mutare Town Clerk’s post with veteran Local Government practitioners joining the race to occupy the office that fell vacant early this year following the resignation of Mr Obert Muzawazi.Manicaland Provincial Administrator, Mr Fungai Mbetsa, Chegutu Town Clerk, Mr Alex Mandigo and Rusape Town Council secretary, Mr Joshua Maligwa are among the applicants who have tendered their applications to land the top job at the Civic Centre.
Mutare City Council was in October ordered by the Local Government Board to re-advertise the post after Government rejected two of the leading shortlisted candidates who were deemed unfit to occupy the demanding position.
Mutare mayor, Councillor Tatenda Nhamarare, revealed this week that more than 20 applicants responded to the re-advertisements and tendered their applications.
“We closed applications yesterday (Thursday) and we will do the interviews and shortlist those who make the grade.
“I don’t have the exact figures with me here, but what I know is that more than 20 people applied for the job.
“We must have a substantive Town Clerk before the beginning of our financial year in February and we hope that the whole process will go on smoothly,” he said.
Mr Mbetsa is probably the high profile applicant on the list to have shown interest in the Town Clerk’s job.
He is well oiled with operations at the Civic Centre since he superintendents all municipalities in the province as the provincial administrator.
Mr Maligwa is coming into the race for the second time after he failed to make the grade in the initial shortlist that saw him settling for position three.
Mr Fungai Mbetsa
The Local Government Board eventually rejected the shortlisted candidates which saw Messrs Christian Sithole and Ronnie Dube leading the pack in position one and two respectively.
Despite coming out tops, Mr Sithole was rejected on the basis that he did not have senior managerial experience in local governance, while Mr Dube was said to have an unresolved disciplinary case with his former employer, Tsholostho Rural District Council.
Cllr Nhamarare said the city wanted the best person to run its affairs and the new Town Clerk must be a dedicated and experienced chief executive officer.
Among a plethora of problems bedeviling the local authority, Mutare City Council is failing to provide water, rehabilitate roads and collect garbage because of a poor rates collection system that has resulted in massive financial bottlenecks.
Workers have gone for years without salaries because council is collecting less than 50 percent of what it bills every month.
