BULAWAYO City Council Mayor Solomon Mguni and his deputy Tinashe Kambarami have apologised to the residents and other stakeholders in the country’s second largest urban settlement following the recent political disturbances.
Last month, Bulawayo City Council Town Clerk Christopher Dube was suspended by Kambarami who was then acting Mayor over corruption allegations.
Dube‘s suspension was immediately overturned by Mguni who described the suspension as unprocedural.
The Bulawayo Town Clerk lashed out at Kambarami arguing the deputy Mayor was fronting a “Shona” agenda triggered an outpouring of support for the Town Clerk. The issues almost turned ugly amid demands before government and the MDC moved in to pacify tempers.
Following the incident, some stakeholders including the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) called for the replacement of the elected Bulawayo councillors by a government appointed commission until elections for new councillors are held.
“The City of Bulawayo would like to apologise to residents and stakeholders on the recent disturbances that rocked the city on the 11th and 12th of July 2019.
“We want to assure the residents that this will not happen again. This incident is a reminder to all of us on the importance of unity in whatever we do,” reads part of the apology letter co-signed by the two.
Kambarami and Mguni said council has since ratified intervention measures aimed at bringing sanity and stability to the city.
“As a council, we shall strengthen our dedication and responsiveness to fighting corruption and abuse of office so that we get rid of this vice. There shall be no sacred cows and anyone implicated must be investigated and go through the relevant audit processes,” the letter reads in part.
“Once again the City of Bulawayo apologises to all stakeholders for the mix up. It is also a reminder to all of us that we are servants of the people of Bulawayo and must serve respectfully and honourably.”
Kambarami and Ward four Councillor Silas Chigora were arrested for allegedly assaulting Dube. The case is still pending before the courts.
