Bulawayo Mayor David Coltart has urged councillors to consider internally how the local authority should handle allegations of extortion against four of its members, warning that inaction could undermine public confidence in the council.
Coltart made the remarks during his introductory speech at the latest Full Council meeting on Wednesday.
Councillors Mxolisi Mahlangu, Ashton Mhlanga, Ntandoyenkosi Ndlovu and Deputy Mayor Edwin Ndlovu are jointly accused with former councillor Alderman Rodney Jele in an extortion case before the courts.
The four councillors were arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission and were each granted US$500 bail on Wednesday afternoon.
On this topic
The arrests prompted the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) to call on the council to establish an internal system for investigating and handling cases involving councillors in line with the Urban Councils Act.
BPRA also called on the council to ensure that city leaders uphold ethical standards and comply with requirements to declare their assets.
Coltart said councillors facing charges involving dishonesty, corruption or abuse of office directly related to their positions should be automatically suspended pending acquittal or the conclusion of an internal investigation and tribunal process.
He said his earlier calls, made when he assumed office, for councillors to declare their assets had faced opposition.
Addressing councillors, Coltart said he supported BPRA’s recommendations and urged them to consider the matter and find ways of restoring public confidence in the local authority.
“I would like to address the elephant in the room. We are aware that we have councillors who were arrested over allegations of extortion. Thankfully, they have been granted bail. I have already issued a statement and I stand by what I said,” he said.
Coltart said the allegations had affected public confidence in the council.
“All I say to you councillors is that we need to take serious heed of what organisations such as Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association have said. These incidents shake the confidence of the public in this council. I’m not apportioning blame, I’m just stating a fact identified by BPRA and undoubtedly reviewing the views of others, and we cannot just pretend or wish this away,” he said.
He acknowledged that the matter was not appropriate for discussion during the meeting but said councillors should consider it through the relevant council structures.
“It’s not appropriate for us to be discussing this now, but we must take into cognisance what they said. I trust in committee we might be able to have some discussion around that so that we can do all that is in our power to restore the confidence that residents have placed in us,” Coltart said.
Leave a Reply