The ManicaPost
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
FORMER Mutare acting Town Clerk, Dr Antony Mutara, was this week suspended as the local authority’s Director for Health Services hours after reporting for duty following the conclusion of his criminal abuse of office case at the courts.
Dr Mutara was initially suspended by the local authority pending the finalisation of the criminal case where he was convicted and sentenced to 12 months in prison.
Four months were then suspended on condition that Dr Mutara does not commit a similar offence in the next five years.
He was then asked to either pay a fine of $70 000 or face four months in prison by Mutare regional magistrate, Mrs Pethukile Msipa.
Acting Mutare Town Clerk, Mr Blessing Chafesuka confirmed Dr Mutara’s latest suspension.
“We can confirm that Dr Mutara was suspended from duty pending his appearance before a disciplinary hearing. We gave him the letter of suspension after he reported for duty today (Tuesday).
“The hearing process should be completed within 14 days as per the legal requirements,” said Mr Chafesuka. He said the three charges against Dr Mutara in his latest suspension arise from the unprocedural appointment of a contract worker as well as breach of his previous suspension terms.
“The first charge emanates from his approval of an application for employment for a Health Services Department contract worker when he was acting Town Clerk.
“Proper procedures were not followed as he approved the application without the requisite recommendations from the Human Resources Department as well as the Financial Director’s Office. In fact, the Human Resources Office as well as the Financial Director’s Office did not give the nod for the contract worker’s employment.
“The second and third charges emanate from breaching the terms of his initial suspension. According to the terms of his initial suspension, he was not supposed to interfere with investigations. He was also barred from visiting his workplace.
“However, Dr Mutara visited the workplace and signed two documents on separate occasions while at the council premises in breach of the suspension’s terms of reference,” said Mr Chafesuka.
