MUTARE – Mutare mayor, Brian Leslie James, has “temporarily” stepped down from the city top job citing resistance by councillors and management to “bring sanity” to the border city.
In a letter to Mutare town clerk, Obert Muzawazi dated December 20, 2011, James advised he would step aside from the job for the next four months to be temporarily away from power struggles and corruption he said was rocking the MDC dominated council.
The mayor said he had faced stiff resistance from fellow councillors, management and everyone around him to bring sanity to the cash-strapped council. He said all and sundry have been giving flimsy reasons for stalling auditing of the council’s finances for a very long time.
“Recent events within council have convinced me that I require a break from duties as Mayor of the city of Mutare. I am therefore requesting four months leave starting immediately and extending to the end of April 2012,” reads part of the letter.
He said he took the decision owing to the continued power struggle between himself and the town clerk over the non-payment of some council employees and the persistent running of council affairs without a proper audit.
Hundreds of council workers still have not been paid their November and December 2011 salaries and bonuses as per contractual agreements. “This decision has been precipitated by the recent events revolving around the city’s finances and audits.
“A recent telephone call with you indicating that the audit of Pungwe Breweries should be delayed has made me realise that both management and councillors are not serious about auditing council affairs expeditiously,” said James.
He also blamed the councillors for lack of political will to have finances of the council audited as shown by audit committee chairperson Sangani Mubatanhema’s lackadaisical approach to the issue of auditing council affairs.
“The audit committee chairperson councillor Mubatanhema also indicated that the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, (Ignatius Chombo) probably would not agree to our choice of Ernst & Young to audit council’s 2010 set of accounts and his seemingly lack of commitment to a resolution that he was part of, to carry out this audit only confirms the total lack of financial responsibility that exists within council’s corridors,” said James.
Mubatanhema’s mobile phone was not reachable yesterday, while town clerk Obert Muzawazi was not answering his phone. “It would seem that a deeper conspiracy exists that is frustrating meaningful audits of council’s affairs,” James wrote.
“I have committed myself to improve the image of council and to regain the confidence of residents and ratepayers alike, and now find it increasingly difficult to defend what I consider to be wanton disrespect of financial good governance,” fumed James in the letter, a copy of which is in possession of the Daily News.
“The continued excuses that audits and external consultancy work cannot be carried out because of lack of funds, yet the very audits and external consultancy works are what are required to arrest uncontrolled expenditure well beyond our revenue collection.”
“It is my prime belief that the deputy mayor, councillor George Jerison would be willing to steer us through this financial quagmire.” Jerison refused to comment on the matter referring questions to acting MDC council chief whip Richard Mupfura who was not reachable.
“I have no authority to comment on the matter. Try to speak to the chief whip he may be in a better position to shed light,” said Jerison. Daily News
