BULAWAYO – Bulawayo mayor David Coltart says councillors facing charges of dishonesty, corruption or abuse of office arising from their official duties should be automatically suspended pending the outcome of legal proceedings.
The mayor spoke out after four councillors, including his deputy, were arrested last week on extortion charges.
Deputy mayor Edwin Ndlovu, who chairs the business and stands allocation committees; ward 28 councillor Ntandoyenkosi Ndlovu; ward 15 councillor Ashton Mhlanga; and ward 3 councillor Mxolisi Mahlangu were arrested alongside former councillor Rodney Jele by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) over allegations that they solicited a US$52,000 bribe from a local businessman. They deny the charges.
Coltart said it would be inappropriate for him to comment on the specific allegations, stressing that all four were presumed innocent until proven guilty.
However, he said the arrests had compounded existing concerns about the 38-member council.
Ward 26 councillor Mpumelelo Moyo, who chairs the finance committee, has already been convicted of a criminal offence related to bribery and is awaiting the outcome of an appeal in the High Court.
Ward 1 councillor Josiah Mutangi, meanwhile, was convicted of collecting unjustified payments from street vendors and subsequently removed from office by the local government minister Daniel Garwe.
Coltart said six councillors in total were either facing criminal charges or had been convicted of offences, a situation he said “deeply undermines public confidence in the council”.
The Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) has called on the city to take action independently of the state’s prosecution of the councillors.
Among its recommendations is that council institute its own internal disciplinary proceedings against the affected councillors.
Coltart said, however, that council had no legal authority to suspend councillors. That power rests with the local government minister, who can suspend a councillor and order an investigation where there are “reasonable grounds for suspecting” misconduct, and, where necessary, refer the matter to an independent tribunal.
“My own view is that councillors charged with offences involving dishonesty, corruption or abuse of office directly related to their office as councillors should automatically be suspended pending either their acquittal or the outcome of the internal investigation and decision of the Tribunal,” Coltart said.
He insisted that the decision was not his to make.
Coltart said he also believed the affected positions should be filled in an acting capacity by other councillors during any suspension.
The mayor also addressed the BPRA’s call for the enforcement of asset declarations by councillors and council staff, saying he had tried to implement the policy soon after taking office but faced opposition.
He said the council’s human resources director told him on July 7 that the process had stalled, and he undertook to expedite it.
The mayor said the asset declaration policy should apply to both councillors and council employees.
“Unless we deal with the scourge of corruption in Bulawayo, and indeed throughout Zimbabwe, we will not realise the tremendous potential of our city and nation,” Coltart said.
