Zanu PF councillor takes aim at MDC city fathers 

Source: Zanu PF councillor takes aim at MDC city fathers – NewsDay Zimbabwe October 10, 2019

By NQOBANI NDLOVU

ZANU PF’s sole councillor in Bulawayo, Kidwell Mujuru, has accused MDC councillors of ganging up against him to “unlawfully” remove him from council’s Business and Investment Committee (BIC).

In a letter of complaint, Mujuru accused the MDC of wilfully violating recommendations of the general purposes committee meeting held on September 4, 2019, which confirmed him as a member of BIC.

He also accused the MDC of political discrimination since he was a member of the ruling party and its sole councillor in Bulawayo.

The MDC councillors reportedly booted out Mujuru in a meeting held on October 2 to allegedly “correct” minutes of the September 4 meeting.

“I am aware of a group of councillors from your party (MDC Alliance) who do not want me to serve the people of Bulawayo in the business committee just because I am from the Zanu PF party,” Mujuru wrote in his letter of complaint dated October 7, 2019.

“The same members moved and seconded each other to remove me from the Business Committee by purporting to ‘correct the minutes’ of the meeting of the 4th of September, 2019.”

Mujuru copied his letter to mayor Solomon Mguni, town clerk Christopher Dube and chamber secretary Sikhangele Zhou.

“Your Worship, the so-called correction of the minutes has the effect of rescission of alteration of a council resolution without following ground rules … The said rescission or alteration of the resolution is unlawful and null and void for the following reasons:

“May I draw your attention to section 278(2)(e) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, which states that wilful violation of the law, including a local authority by-law, is a ground of removal of councillors from office.

“It is clear that your council violated the law in your absence. I, therefore, request that you put the council back to legality by urgently remedying the defect. I thought I must also advise you since the whole process is null and void,” he added.

Confirming receipt of the letter when contacted for comment yesterday, Mguni said: “I was away in Pretoria for my graduation when council sat on October 2. Mujuru has served me with his letter registering his complaint about the manner that meeting was conducted. The matter is receiving urgent attention.”

Mujuru made history in March this year after winning a Cowdray Park council seat for Zanu PF in Bulawayo, a feat the ruling party has failed to do since the formation of the opposition party in 1999.

The by-election was contested by a total of 18 candidates, with the MDC Alliance fielding two contestants due to factionalism.