Chitungwiza mayor survives attempt to oust him from office

By Tichaona Sibanda
03 November 2005

Chitungwiza mayor Misheck Shoko believes his job is far from being secure despite surviving a plot to oust him from power on Wednesday.

Speaking for the first since Zanu (PF) launched a vicious campaign to remove him from office last week, Shoko said the plot is being led by individuals who are responsible for the disappearance of large amounts of money from the council.

Shoko, who has been in hiding since Monday when Zanu (PF) supporters stormed council offices only came out for a face-to-face meeting with Local Government minister, Ignatius Chombo on Wednesday night.

‘I had a cordial but tense meeting with the minister. You could tell that underneath there was a lot of tension,’ said Shoko.

The purpose of the meeting was to see if Shoko was going to survive a 24-hr ultimatum set by Chombo for his council to prepare and present a strategic turnaround plan for the town.

Shoko strongly believes Chombo’s intention was to make his council fail and then fire it. He said it was the only explanation he could provide because 24 hours is an impossible period to make a turnaround strategy for a town with one million residents.

‘It must be recorded that the town already had a turnaround strategy of its own, what was simply required was to panel beat here and there and add or subtract a few things’, said the mayor.

Asked if he thought beating the deadline had made his job safe, Shoko shot back quickly; ‘Safe, not safe. It is far from being secure because I believe the intention was not to beat the deadline alone, the intention was to humiliate the mayor and arm twist him to reinstate the town clerk’

The town clerk, Simbarashe Mudungwe was suspended from council for a serious case of misconduct. He is alleged to have assisted a local businessman to steal money from council. Chombo wants him reinstated, but Shoko is blocking that move, a standoff that has apparently triggered hostilities between the two and spread right down council corridors.