By Judith Sibanda
Victoria Falls Mayor Somvelo Dhlamini has suspended the city’s Town Clerk Ronnie Dube on allegations of “abuse of office, corruption and incompetence.”
In a statement, Cllr Dhlamini said the suspension was with immediate effect.
“I rendered the letter to him in his office this afternoon,” Dhlamini said.
“The suspension is in terms of the Urban Council Act Section 139 which empowers the mayor to act in such a manner.
“The decision to suspend him was not done lightly. Intense analysis of the facts and the situation on the ground left me with no option but to suspend.
“There are several allegations bordering around abuse of office, corruption, and incompetence in general. Some of these allegations are being investigated by the state machinery. Given the predicament that Mr Dube is the accounting officer, it will be very difficult to properly carry out the investigation with him at the helm,” said the Mayor.
He added that the authority will also be carrying out its own investigations, amid calls for calm among stakeholders, investors and residents.
However, in a telephonic interview, Dube denied receiving the suspension letter.
He said he was surprised when he saw the news circulating on social media.
“Right now l am from the office where l am coming from attending an operational meeting,” Dube said just after 4PM.
“I never received a letter from Dhlamini. If he is the kind of mayor who writes a letter and decides to disseminate it on social media, his party needs serious re-thinking for a calibre of a councillor he is. I saw this on social media just like you. He never came to my office and he never served me with anything so as far as l am concerned, l am continuing with my official duties.”
Dube recently had his contract renewed for a further five years. He joined the local authority in 2016 replacing Christopher Dube who is now occupying the same position at the Bulawayo City Council.
