Local Government Minister July Moyo has reinstated Ward 9
Councillor Somveli Dlamini as the mayor of
Dlamini was fired from the position in February by the Nelson Chamisa-led MDC Alliance for allegedly violating a party directive.
MDC Alliance councillors recently elected Ward 5 Councillor Richard Mguni as the new mayor, and the move has been nullified by Minister Moyo.
In his letter to the municipality on Tuesday, Minister Moyo said only a general election could remove a mayor from office. He wrote:
… Please note that in terms of Section 48 and 103 of the Urban Councils Act, a mayor is elected to the office after a general election and holds office until an election or until a successor is appointed.
The Constitution in Section 278 provides for the due processes for the removal of a mayor or councillor and following my evenly referenced letter dated 5 May 2020, Cllr Somveli Dlamini was reinstated as a councillor.
As such, there is no provision for an election of a new mayor as Cllr Dlamini regains his post until the end of his term of office.
In terms of Section 316, I hereby order that the election of
a new mayor of
MDC factions have been at each other’s throat since the Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that the party should hold an extraordinary congress to elect a substantive successor to party president Morgan Tsvangirai who died in 2018.
Souce: Minister Moyo Settles MDC Factions’ Victoria Falls Mayoral Dispute (13/05/2020)
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