Opinion By Ben Manyenyeni|There is a messy video clip from the City of Bulawayo our second largest metro in which the Deputy Mayor is serving the Town Clerk ( City Manager in other jurisdictions) with a letter of his suspension from duty. Should never have been recorded !!
I relate well with the crisis visiting the City of Kings….. deja vu.
Being Mayor of the capital city Harare at its weakest point in time gave me the dubious honour of having served 3 such suspension letters in 5 turbulent years and receiving 2 such myself.
Arguably the most difficult job in the land & the most high profile elected opposition office in our polarised, toxic politics.
Attempts to rescue the sinking Titanic were fought by partisan politics, political interference, legacy debts, poor revenue collection, decades of infrastructure backlog, mis-managed costs, lethargic management and sub-prime councillors.
I became the biggest victim of the first suspension letter I served.
My own shareholders where I was General Manager and Principal Officer got very angry – arguing that my Town House decisions were hurting their political and business interests.
The powerful forces behind the Town Clerk had flexed their muscles to hit back.
I got a call from the dominant shareholder in proper boys’ language – was asked if I had the manhood to face it all.
I boldly said YES and I was instantly told what would happen to my manhood.
5 hours later the PA to Group CEO brought a letter saying the Board had just met and I was the subject of a Board Resolution: get out of the office, leave the car, the laptop and go home. FIRED! Made sure this sad story did not make it to the media then.
NO ONE WANTS TO LOSE A JOB ESP IN HARSH TIMES
The true cost of being mayor hit me: over USD 300k lost in four and half years: had to make a living at one-seventh of my normal job
my lowest since July 1990.
I felt like an unemployed person with an expensive urban life, loans etc. Son sent home for fees etc.
For the first time in my life I used the empowering words to my wife: “God will Provide”.
It was SORE but HE did!
That mayoral “salary” which I almost always dished out (and exceeded) to the needy I now needed.
As we speak 4 Executives at City of Harare have been on suspension from duty for over 18 months over remuneration improprieties. One resumed work recently.
Our municipalities are tricky creatures and very well-kept secrets.
In a population of 15m people I don’t think there are 20, yes TWENTY only, who can competently analyse performances in our councils on an informed basis.
The whole episode of removing the Harare Town Clerk and the political leg-irons which cost us four and half years of our 5 year term without the certainty of a CEO at the City highlights the political importance of the Town Clerk.
You will understand why I had to be suspended from office twice and why I had to spend nights in police custody: my approach to have a professional appointment ignored the demands for a political Town Clerk.
For many it was their first real encounter with the significance of a Town Clerk.
Harare alone is a big as 10 to 15 government ministries and historically Harare has been bigger than some African countries.
It’s a mini government!
Which is why I always stated that after the mayors of Harare and Bulawayo the next most important council position is the Chairman of the Finance Committee for Harare City.
Which is why I argue confidently that the second most powerful position in my party is the office now held by ex-Harare Mayor, Sen. Eng. Elias Mudzuri who is Secretary for Local Government for a party which “controls” 28 out of 32 urban local authorities.
I put it as “controls” for a reason known to many.
The CEO of Harare is, in my book, second only to the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet.
The Bulawayo metro is a giant operation and its Town Clerk must be viewed in that context.
Those going to comment or ACT on the BCC debacle will need to be clear, informed and fair.
Skies, you’re no village – SISONKE!