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| A scan of an article in today's Newsday on the filing of an urgent High Court chamber application seeking to bar Chombo from appointing special interest councillors |
Published on 28 February 2013
BULAWAYO
Progressive Residents Association (BPRA), has once again dragged Local
Government minister Ignatius Chombo to court after he appointed two more
special interest councillors in Bulawayo. The association, through its Ward 13
Chairperson, Alick Gumede, on Tuesday 26 February 2013 filed an urgent High
Court chamber application seeking to block the appointment of two special
interest councillors named as Sipiwe Ncube and Gacha Mazitulela. Minister
Chombo appointed the two in letters dated 22 February 2013. Barely a month ago,
the association, through its Secretary for People Living with Disabilities in
Ward 13 successfully barred the swearing-in of another special interest
councillor, Fidelis Fengu.
Alick
Gumede, under the aegis of BPRA, through lawyer Job Sibanda argues in the
application that the “appointments were grossly irregular as to defy common
sense in that the very life of council to which they have been appointed comes
to an end in the next month or so.” He further argues that: “such appointments
shall not benefit council, but shall only drain the financial resources of the
council to which applicant is a contributor by virtue of him being a
ratepayer.”
BPRA
has previously expressed concerns that the Urban Council’s Act (Chapter 29:15)
invests too much power in the Minister of Local Government, allowing him too
much leeway to undemocratically dictate the conduct of local authorities
without consulting residents. It is BPRA’s contention that special interest
councillors should not be imposed by a Minister, but should be selected by the
residents in a democratic manner. As such BPRA rejects the appointment of
Sipiwe Ncube and Gacha Mazitulela as special interest councillors as they were imposed
by Minister Chombo without consultation of residents.
Please
find attached a scan of a story in today’s Newsday for more information on the
issue.
Regards
Information
Department
Bulawayo Progressive
Residents Association
Bus.
Tel: +263 9 61196
Cell:
+263 772 516 729
www.bulawayoresidents.org
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