Town Clerk: Harare’s ‘cursed’ office

MOSES MATENGA AND KUDAKWASHE CHIBVURI

Town house has earned a bad reputation for corruption, arrests and negligence that has led to plunder of council resources and at the centre of that chaos has been the office of the Town Clerk.

From Tendai Mahachi, Josephine Ncube (acting) and Hosea Chisango, the office has been a centre of bruising fights pitting Town Clerks and elected officials and the fights have been along political lines.

Mahachi was fired in 2015 on three months’ notice and made hefty demands on top of the controversial US$37 000 monthly salary he was getting.

His team of 18 managers was gobbling more than US$500 000 a month. As part of his demands, Mahachi wanted US$100 000 salary for every year served, a new Jeep Cherokee registered under his name and a house in Harare’s leafy suburb.

Another of Mahachi’s sin was doctoring his date of birth to escape mandatory retirement and failing to avail his employment file, his alleged involvement in land scandals, failure to implement council resolutions, defying instructions by councillors and a penchant for disregarding his direct bosses and preferring to take instructions directly from then Local Government minister, Ignatius Chombo.Prominent banker, James Mushore, was appointed to take over from Mahachi with observers saying he was the right man for the job as he would come without any political influence but his appointment was fiercely rejected by the then Minister, Savior Kasukuwere, who declared Mushore would not be at the helm of Harare not “under his watch.”Kasukuwere was also Zanu PF’s national political commissar then.

Following his unceremonious exit from council, Mahachi was set to be replaced by renowned banker, James Mushore, who was perceived to be aligned to the opposition, marking a fierce clash at Town House. Mushore’s appointment was fought largely by former Local Government Minister Savior Kasukuwere.

Ultimately Mahachi was replaced by Chamber Secretary, Josephine Ncube, who also had her fair share of controversy.

Though Ncube only replaced Mahachi in an acting capacity, she was also accused by councillors of financial mismanagement and was suspended.Recently, an alleged case of financial abuse that took place in 2017 came back to haunt her and was to be arrested together with former Mayor Bernard Manyenyeni.

The matter is still before the courts.And in came ChisangoChisango, a former Director in the Water department, and then a darling of the councillors took over from Mahachi and before long, he was implicated in cases of corruption.Chisango has been implicated in cases of corruption with most issues coming out during the commission of inquiry set up by President Emmerson Mnangagwa to probe cases of suspected financial mismanagement and corruption at Town House.

Chisango was nailed for a litany of corruption allegations and corruption.Most of his cases are before the courts. But what’s the problem with the office?Immediate past chairman of the Audit Committee, Councillor Blessing Duma said most of the people to take up the position of Town Clerk are not professionals but politicians.“The town clerk crisis is evident,” he said. “

No one wants to take on the role and you find that most, if not the majority, are not professionals but politicians. They substitute professionalism with politics,” Duma added.

“They begin to behave like politicians. Additionally, the other issue lies with the policymakers, who sometimes want to control the Town Clerk. Therefore, it is necessary for us not to have a permanent Town Clerk.

He said a new Town Clerk should have the ability to resist pressure for corruption from whatever force.“I would recommend someone with a legal background. Such qualifications would be beneficial in addressing compliance issues,” Duma said.Duma had one individual in mind.

“There is one individual I have in mind, Dr. Prosper Chonzi (Director of Health). If he were to accept the position of Town Clerk, I believe he would excel,” Duma said.“If you want to see a professional department within the city of Harare, look at the Department of Health.

Even their reports to the council are well-organized. This indicates that the head of that department maintains order. In my opinion, this person would be ideal for the Town Clerk position,” Duma added. Residents fret over toxicity of the Town Clerk’s officeCombined Harare Residents Association Director Reuben Akili said residents are concerned with the toxicity associated with the Town Clerk’s office.

“We are concerned about the fighting and the struggle for the position of Town Clerk in the city of Harare. Our findings indicate that the role of town clerk has become a strategic position for politicians,” Akili said.

“We have observed that some Town Clerks become embroiled in scandals, often due to the way decisions are made. This can lead to these clerks being manipulated into making decisions that align with political interests.“We must also understand the involvement of the local government board in the recruitment process for local authorities, which has consistently been a source of frustration.

According to Chapter 14 of the Constitution, it is crucial that local authorities are given a level of autonomy in hiring and firing senior officials, including Town Clerks. This autonomy is vital for clarity regarding who their employer is.”

Akili added: “When it comes to identifying the best candidate, the focus should be on qualities and skills. In local authorities like the city of Harare, where political control is divided, it is important to have a Town Clerk capable of navigating these challenges.

Candidates should possess skills, knowledge, and expertise in administration, and ideally, some legal background, which can be beneficial.”“While we have seen engineers serve as town clerks in the past, Harare needs someone who can effectively administer and deliver on its mandate.

The directors of water and works are often engineers, which can support the Town Clerk, but we may not require a surplus of engineers in local administration,” Akili said. According to Harare Residents Trust Director, Precious Shumba, interactions between the Town Clerks, government Ministers and politicians remain problematic in Harare. “The primary reason we face problems with the office of the town clerk is that, as the head of a local authority, the Town Clerk interacts with government bureaucrats, Cabinet ministers, councillors and various political forces who want their issues addressed through this office,” Shumba said.

“Local authorities provide most services, and the Town Clerk is the accounting officer.

Therefore, any town clerk who compromises professionalism fails to maintain the right political connections or lacks the proper attitude is likely to fall by the wayside. Such individuals will not have the support of the Minister of Local Government and Public Works, the Office of the President and Cabinet, or even the internal council bureaucrats and policymakers.”He said professionals who strive to uphold professionalism and remain non-partisan often find themselves side-lined.

“They are expected to compromise on many issues and may receive verbal instructions from senior government executives, Cabinet members, or ministry officials.

When they fail to execute these instructions, they are dismissed for other reasons, but the verbal directives are never mentioned. Thus, the role is highly politicized, requiring a delicate balance between political considerations and service delivery priorities.