MDC President, Nelson Chamisa, visits Bulawayo this weekend with speculations that he will meet with the party authorities over recent attempts by the party’s councillors to suspend Town Clerk, Mr Christopher Dube. 

Chamisa, who is scheduled to address a rally in Lupane on Saturday ahead of the Lupane East by elections set for 3 August, will meet Bulawayo structures on Sunday.

MDC Bulawayo provincial spokesperson Swithern Chirowodza allegedly told state media that Chamisa will not necessarily be addressing the Bulawayo council issue but will be holding a general administrative meeting with Bulawayo structures on Sunday. 

“The meeting is about ordinary house keeping issues and the by election in Lupane just to get updates from the ground on what is happening,” he said.

Bulawayo residents last week called on the Government to dissolve council and appoint a commission to run the local authority’s affairs due to alleged corruption and maladministration by the city fathers.

The call followed the chaos that rocked the council after Deputy Mayor, Councillor Tinashe Kambarami, working closely with Ward Four  councillor, Silas Chigora, violently removed the Town Clerk Mr Christopher Dube from office on July 11.

The city’s Mayor, Clr Solomon Mguni, reinstated Mr Dube back to office on the following day and on Monday council ratified the decision during a special full council meeting.

Chamisa’s deputy, Professor Welshman Ncube, in a series of tweets, bemoaned calls for the setting up of a commission to run the affairs of  Bulawayo.

He claimed that by lobbying for a commission to run the local authority’s affairs, residents would be neglecting democratic practices. 

“After all the Mayor, His Worship Solomon Mguni, had already started the corrective process both on procedural and substantive issues. In the circumstances, it is a grave mistake to clamour for a negation of the democratic will of the people of Bulawayo as expressed by them only a year ago,” said Prof Ncube.