BULAWAYO Deputy Mayor, Tinashe Kambarami and ward four councillor, Silas Chigora have withdrawn assault charges against the city’s Town Clerk, Christopher Dube.
Dube was set to appear at the Tredgold magistrates’ court on Friday to face charges of assaulting the two councillors while serving him with his suspension letter but Kambarami and Chigora decided to withdraw the charges for the “sake of the city ‘s progress”.
Chigora confirmed to New Zimbabwe.Com Saturday that the two city fathers have forgiven the Town Clerk.
“Yes, indeed we have agreed to withdraw the assault charges against the Town Clerk. We have met and talked over the issue and agreed to let bygones be bygones so that we concentrate on building the city. We have a plethora of challenges in the city which require us to work together as one team and deliver quality service to the people of Bulawayo,” said Chigora.
The councillor said they have decided to with the charges after realising that fighting with the Town Clerk was affecting the city’s service delivery.
“We have agreed to be magnanimous and accept each other’s mistakes and take our past as a lesson to all of us into the future. We agreed to set a good example as city fathers in terms of forgiveness.
“Next year, we will be preaching forgiveness. Yes, people can wrong each other but still they can sit down and put forward the interests of the city ahead of our own. The city needs us all, united to fight out issues not tissues,” added the councillor.
In July this year, then Acting Mayor Kambarami suspended Dube over allegations of mismanaging council funds and abuse of office.
Dube’s controversial suspension however triggered violent protests from the Town Clerk’s sympathisers who besieged the City Hall denouncing both Kambarami and Chigora for their actions.
After his failed suspension, the Town Clerk filed assault charges against Kambarami and Chigora but the two were later acquitted by a Bulawayo magistrate.
Following their acquittal, the city council, through Boniface Ngulube, the city’s Senior Administrative officer, filed malicious damage to property charges against the two city fathers at the Bulawayo Central police station.
The two councillors were again acquitted of the charges.
Following their acquittal on both charges, Chigora and Kambarami filed a counter assault report against the Town Clerk.
