A COMMISSION appointed by Local Government, Rural and Urban Development minister Ignatious Chombo has rubber-stamped his directive to unilaterally appoint Priscilla Nkala as the substantive Gwanda chamber secretary for the town.
Albert Ncube
The three-member commission, including town clerk Gilbert Mlilo has implemented Chombo’s directive to appoint Nkala after the then-MDC dominated municipality refused to endorse the government directive.
The commission was appointed by Chombo to oversee council affairs before the swearing-in of new councillors. The MDC refused to appoint Nkala over her alleged allegiance to Zanu PF after the Local Government Board recommended her to the position in November 2011. The debacle resulted in the suspension of former Gwanda mayor Lionel De Necker.
In suspending De Necker, Chombo cited the mayor’s defiance as the reasons’ for his dismissal. Zanu PF won a majority of council seats in Gwanda urban and will soon take over the running of the town.
Although Mlilo could not be reached for comment some workers at the Gwanda council confirmed Nkala’s appointment saying she had already started work.
“We received notification of her appointment last week and it’s with effect from August 15”, a worker who requested anonymity, said.
Meanwhile, Zanu PF Matabeleland South provincial chairman Andrew Langa has warned newly-elected councillors against jostling for leadership posts saying the party was going to meet and choose suitable candidates.
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“Those informal meetings should stop as they destroy the party. When the time comes, we will meet as the party leadership and chose our mayors and chairpersons,” Langa said.