Jostling for the Harare City Council (HCC) town clerk position has again returned to town house following a recent government directive ordering the municipality to fill all vacant senior managerial posts.
The task of filling up the town clerk position has, for the past one -and-half-years, been tangled up in controversy following the acrimonious departure of the previous town clerk,
Tendai Mahachi, who was forced to retire having reached retirement age.
The post was advertised mid last year and a record 145 candidates, including Ncube and Chingombe, applied. Former banker, James Mushore, landed the post, albeit for a few months. His appointment was immediately reversed by Local Government, Public Works and
National Housing Minister, Saviour Kasukuwere, who alleged that HCC authorities had breached the Urban Councils Act by not seeking approval from the Local Government Board to appoint Mushore.
Although the matter is still in the courts, where Mushore is arguing that he was lawfully appointed, Kasukuwere has given council a three-month ultimatum to fill up all vacant senior positions, setting the stage for a spirited showdown between Ncube and Chingombe.
Chingombe was a rank outsider in last year’s selection process after failing to get to the final eight short-listed candidates.
Ncube made it to the last eight, but later fell by the wayside in the tight race for the US$10 000 salary per month job.
Chingombe has reportedly laun-ched an aggressive canvassing drive, having allegedly visited several departments during the period when he was acting town clerk.
Chingombe became the acting town clerk after Ncube was suspended last month for failing to comply with a government directive compelling city bosses to cut their salaries.
Interestingly, he did not last long as acting town clerk as he was also suspended for the same reasons.
The two resumed duty recently after Kasukuwere, lifted their suspensions.
Council directors, including Chingombe, are still getting obscene salaries two years after government put a US$6 000 cap on management salaries.
According to sources at Town House, Chingombe is said to have been telling employees that he was on course for the top job.
“He left employees really surprised after carrying out a large-scale campaign, which many did not anticipate,” said one senior HCC employee who requested anonymity.
When contacted for comment, Chingombe told the Financial Gazette that he was in a meeting and would return the call.
“Let me call you after some time; I am currently in a meeting,” he said.
He, however, did not return the call and was also not picking subsequent calls.
He also appeared to ignore messages sent to his mobile phone.
Ncube declined to comment.
“I have no comment to make about things that happened during my absence,” she said.
Harare mayor, Bernard Manyenyeni, said council was not in the process of recruiting a new town clerk because they were waiting for the matter of suspended town clerk, Mushore, to be resolved by the courts.
He acknowledged that there could be serious canvassing.
“No such process has commenced, but I cannot rule out canvassing,” he said.
“Nothing has changed. We are still waiting for the courts (to decide on Mushore’s fate),” he added.
The Harare town clerk position has historically been contentious.
In 2007, the then chairperson of a commission running the affairs of the city, Sekesai Makwavarara, fought a protracted battle with the then town clerk, Nomutsa Chideya as she sought to get rid of him.
Chideya, now late, would later leave the job unceremoniously.
He was succeeded by Mahachi who had been hired three years earlier as a turnaround strategist. Financial Gazette