Bulawayo, (New Ziana) –Zimbabwe’s second-largest city, Bulawayo, will soon embark on the hunt for a new town clerk following the expiration of Christopher Dube’s four-year tenure this Monday.
Dube was appointed Town Clerk by the Local Government Board in 2016, succeeding Middleton Nyoni, who passed away in 2015.
Prior to his appointment, Dube was serving as Town Clerk for the resort town of Victoria Falls. In a statement, Bulawayo acting Mayor Edwin Ndlovu explained that the council had previously resolved to extend Dube’s contract, pending approval from the Local Government Board.
However, no response was received until the contract expired, leaving Dube without any option than to pack his bags and leave.
“The Town Clerk’s four-year contract with the City of Bulawayo ended at midnight on September 30, 2024,” said Ndlovu. “While the council had resolved on February 7 to extend the contract, subject to approval by the Local Government Board, such approval had not been obtained by the end of the day on September 30. In these circumstances, the Town Clerk vacated office at midnight on September 30, 2024, due to the expiration of his contract.”
In the interim, Ndlovu announced that chamber secretary Sikhangele Zhou would serve as the acting town clerk, as stipulated by the Urban Councils Act, until a new appointment is made. “The City of Bulawayo will commence the search for a new Town Clerk, and in the meantime, as provided in the Urban Councils Act, Chapter 29:15, the Chamber Secretary (Sikhangele Zhou) will act until a substantive Town Clerk is appointed,” he said.
Before joining the Bulawayo City Council, Dube served in the finance department of the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) from 1980 to 1997, leaving as a major.
Between 2003 and 2008, Dube served as the Director of Finance in the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works, and National Housing. In 2009, he became the Town Treasurer for Victoria Falls and was appointed Town Clerk in the resort town in May 2014.
New Ziana