Record applicants for vacant Gweru Town Clerk post

GWERU- – A record 24 people have applied for the vacant Gweru Town Clerk post, it has been learnt.
The local authority has been seeking a substantive Town Clerk since the dismissal of Agnes
Gwatipedza in 2019 and has been operating with acting Town Clerks since then.

The application deadline for the position was set for December 4, and the overwhelming response
from potential candidates indicates the high level of interest in the esteemed role.

In a recent announcement, Gweru Mayor, Councillor Martin Chivhoko, revealed that a total of 24
applications have been received for the position of Town Clerk in Gweru. The mayor confirmed that
the council will soon be conducting interviews to select the most suitable candidate for the role.

Expressing his satisfaction with the response, Mayor Chivhoko stated: We are happy that we are
going to have a new Town Clerk after we closed the applications yesterday (December 4). We are
going to have a substantive Town Clerk who will fulfil our mandate and wishes.

The mayor made these remarks during a meeting organised by the Gweru Residents and Ratepayers
Association (GRRA).

He emphasised that the council has high expectations for the incoming Town Clerk.

He mentioned that any appointed individual failing to meet the residents expectations would be
subject to dismissal.

We heard that Town Clerks come and go, but even if we engage a substantive Town Clerk, if he or
she fails to perform to the satisfaction of the residents, he or she will go and we engage another one
until we get the best candidate, he asserted.

The mayor did not disclose the names of the aspiring candidates.

The last substantive Town Clerk, Gwatipedza was fired from the local authority’s top office after she
was found guilty of three charges that included disobeying a lawful order to submit her contract of
employment and those of other departmental heads.

She was also found guilty of gross incompetence in the performance of her work in that she failed to
comply with the audit and supervise the finance department.

After the dismissal of Gwatipedza for gross mismanagement, she was replaced by Chikwekwe who
was the substantive Chamber Secretary.

Chikwekwe resigned as the Chamber Secretary and acting Town Clerk in July this year, and was
replaced by the finance director Livingstone Churu, who is the current acting Town Clerk.

He resigned from the post of substantive Chamber Secretary and acting Town Clerk after serving
council for six years and five months.

The Gweru City Council will now embark on the rigorous process of reviewing the applications and
shortlisting the most qualified candidates for further consideration.

The appointment of a substantive Town Clerk is crucial for Gweru, as it will bring stability and
direction to the local authority's operations. With an acting Town Clerk, the council has faced
challenges in implementing long-term strategic plans and addressing pressing issues like the
perennial water crisis..