Bulawayo Mayor David Coltart has dismissed reports claiming the city’s Town Clerk, Christopher Dube, has been handed a new contract, describing the claims as “entirely incorrect” and the result of an “illegal” meeting.
In a statement issued Friday, Coltart refuted media reports published on November 17 and 20, which alleged that the council met on November 19 to vote for a fresh term for Dube. He clarified that no such meeting took place and denied allegations that he walked out of the chamber after a vote was taken.
“There was no meeting of council on the 19th of November… At no time in my presence was a vote taken in this regard,” Coltart stated.
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The "Illegal" Meeting and Intimidation According to the Mayor, the confusion stems from a chaotic Full Council meeting on November 5. Coltart explained that the session “rapidly degenerated into total disorder,” with councillors trading insults and threats, making free and fair debate impossible. Consequently, he adjourned the meeting invoking council standing orders.
Coltart alleges that after he left, a group of councillors held an “illegal meeting” where they purported to extend the Town Clerk’s contract by five years. He noted that several councillors later confessed to feeling “under grave intimidation” during that gathering.
“The ‘resolution’ purportedly passed… is illegal and of no force and effect,” Coltart said, adding that the leaking of internal documents to a local newspaper was a “red line” that compelled him to go public.
The Legal Dispute: SI 197 of 2024 At the heart of the conflict is a dispute over Statutory Instrument 197 of 2024, which raised the retirement age for public servants to 70. The council is divided on whether this applies to senior officials on fixed-term contracts.
Coltart argued that applying this to fixed-term deals would set a dangerous financial precedent, potentially allowing employees “aged 30… to demand employment until reaching 70.”
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