A bitter public feud and procedural chaos at the Bulawayo City Council over Town Clerk Christopher Dube’s contract are being seen as symptoms of a deeper crisis, a “fatal” leadership vacuum within the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) that has left its councillors unaccountable and politically adrift.
The turmoil follows conflicting legal claims about the status of Dube’s employment, with Bulawayo Mayor David Coltart and his deputy, Edwin Ndlovu, issuing sharply contradictory statements over the legality of a council meeting held on 5 November 2025.
The councillors at the centre of the controversy were elected under the CCC ticket in 2023, a party that has been fractured and leaderless since Nelson Chamisa resigned in early 2024.
Chamisa stepped down after a leadership challenge by Sengezo Tshabangu, who exploited the party’s “strategic ambiguity” and plunged the CCC into a succession crisis.
A planned 90-day rotational leadership, involving Professor Welshman Ncube, Tendai Biti and Lynette Karenyi-Kore, later collapsed. Although Tshabangu is now recognised as Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, deep confusion over the party’s leadership persists.
Analysts say this internal disintegration has created a power vacuum that councillors are now exploiting with impunity.
In an interview with CITE, legal expert Dr Vusumuzi Sibanda accused Deputy Mayor Ndlovu and a group of councillors of violating procedure and defying the mayor’s authority, allegedly under the influence of political forces pushing for Dube’s contract extension.
“The failure by the deputy mayor to respect and observe the chain of command shows he is working for those people pushing to change term limits,” Dr Sibanda said.
“We know CCC is in shambles. There is no political leader now, so councillors do as they please or as the current Secretary General wishes, after he managed to usurp authority.”
He said that without clear political direction, councillors were acting in their own self-interest.
“People do as they wish according to where they think their bread is buttered. Maybe they also hope their own terms will be similarly increased,” he added.
The controversy stems from a chaotic full council meeting on 5 November, where Mayor Coltart says he adjourned proceedings due to “total disorder”, “threats” and “slanderous vilification”.
He alleges an “illegal meeting” was convened after his departure, during which Dube’s contract was purportedly extended by five years.
Deputy Mayor Ndlovu publicly countered that the meeting had been merely “vibrant” and insisted any resolutions passed after Coltart left were legally binding.
Dr Sibanda strongly disagreed, describing the councillors’ actions as “insubordination”.
“A meeting cannot legally continue after the presiding officer has adjourned it,” he said. “When the Speaker says Parliament is over, can the Deputy Speaker continue with the sitting?”
He argued that all decisions taken after the adjournment were invalid.
“All those councillors must be called to account. The agenda became theirs, not the council’s. They simply refused to listen to the mayor.”
Dr Sibanda said if councillors genuinely believed Mayor Coltart was unfit to lead, they should have followed lawful procedures.
“If they feel the mayor is failing them, they can impeach him. But until he is lawfully removed, they cannot take decisions in his absence.”
He warned that the councillors’ actions could have serious legal consequences.
“Council must operate according to its standing orders, not personal preferences or political whims. Violating procedure cannot be tolerated.”
Dr Sibanda said the deeper problem lay in inconsistent rules that were frequently manipulated for political purposes. He criticised repeated changes to Zimbabwe’s governance regulations, particularly around retirement age.
“When the retirement age is moved from 65 to 70, it shows a careless regime that does not understand the youth unemployment crisis. It acts as if Zimbabwe has an ageing population. That is nonsensical,” he said.
Political analyst Bernard Magugu said the internal conflict was disheartening for Bulawayo residents already grappling with poor service delivery. He blamed the CCC’s lack of structure and discipline.
“There is no internal discipline and no clear governance guidelines,” he said. “Councillors act without accountability or alignment to any party principle.”
He said the absence of a central authority had left councillors to make decisions based on personal alliances, factional loyalties or opportunism — not public interest.
“It is now a game of mafia gangs where every fool dances to any song played by the king of fools,” he said.
Magugu warned that the leadership vacuum was undermining governance and harming residents.
“Internal confusion spills into council business, resulting in disorderly meetings, illegal resolutions and decisions made outside legal frameworks,” he said.
“This is why someone like Dube can attempt to extend his term unlawfully — and why some councillors feel emboldened to support it.”
ZAPU Secretary-General Mthulisi Hanana said strong political institutions were essential for accountability.
“When there is no party playing an oversight role, it becomes difficult to hold elected officials to account,” he said.
“When institutions are weak, decisions become opaque, corruption thrives and governance becomes personality-driven. The strength of a democracy lies not in its leaders but in the institutions that restrain them.”
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