Ten local authorities operating without substantive senior officials

The long process involved in appointing senior councils officials has resulted in close to 10 local
authorities operating with acting town clerks for a long time, an official has said.

It also emerged that some acting town clerks were also being replaced by others also on acting capacity as well, making key decision making difficult.

A number of local authorities in the country are operating without substantive senior officials following the suspension of the incumbents. The situation is affecting service delivery as the individuals acting in some of the posts are afraid of making critical decisions.

Cities and towns that are being run by acting town clerks include Harare, Mutare, Marondera, Gweru, Chegutu, Rusape, Chipinge, Karoi and Gokwe, with some of them having gone for more than five years without substantive senior managers at the helm.

Ministry of Local Government, Public Works, Rural and Urban Development director of communication and advocacy, Gabriel Masvora, said various other government arms were involved in the process.

He said most of the vacancies arose following the suspension of the incumbents, some of whose cases were still before the courts.

“It must be noted that there are different circumstances why some local authorities have gone for years without substantive town clerks and each case is unique,” he said.

“In most cases such trials have dragged for years and councils cannot initiate a process to recruit a replacement as long as there is a substantive person who is on suspension waiting for the determination of his/her case,” he said.

He said the appointment of senior officials such as town clerks did not rest with his Ministry alone, but also involved other stakeholders.

“First, it must be noted that it is not the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works which is responsible for appointing town clerks. The procedure is that respective, councils conduct interviews and then forward the names of the three top candidates to the Local Government
Board,” he said.

The Local Government Board, which is made up of independent members not employed by the Ministry, then selects the best candidate and forwards the name to other government arms for further vetting before their appointment, further delaying the exercise.

One of the officials who has been working in an acting capacity for a long time but who declined to be named for professional reasons, confirmed that it was difficult to run entities such as local
authorities in an acting capacity.

“You cannot make certain decisions whilst you are in an acting capacity, and sometimes subordinates do not respect you, knowing that you are not the substantive holder,” he said.
New Ziana