Bulawayo Deputy Mayor Clarifies Town Clerk Contract Dispute

Bulawayo Deputy Mayor, Councillor Edwin Ndlovu, has issued a statement to clear up confusion caused by media reports about the contract of the city’s Town Clerk.

Councillor Ndlovu clarifies that it is not the City of Bulawayo’s culture to fight in public, and he condemned people who shared internal issues with the media.

He reminded officials that they all took an oath to protect the city and its residents.

“The last full council meeting was held on 5 November 2025, not on 19 November as some reports claimed.The Town Clerk’s contract was set to expire on 30 November 2025,” he said.

In 2024, councils across Zimbabwe were advised through the Urban Councils Association of Zimbabwe (UCAZ) to make Town Clerk contracts five years long, to match other government directors. Bulawayo agreed and extended the Town Clerk’s contract to two five-year terms.

However, adding only one extra year would have made the Town Clerk reach pension age.

“The council therefore planned to add the second year later. In April 2025, the Government announced through Statutory Instrument (SI) 197 of 2024 that the retirement age had been raised from 65 to 70.

The matter was discussed in the General Purposes Committee, which handles human resources issues. The committee felt the new retirement age might not apply to people with fixed-term contracts,so it recommended getting a legal opinion,” Councillor Ndlovu stated.

On 27 October 2025, the Human Capital department recommended that the Town Clerk’s contract be extended for one more year (up to November 2026). The committee agreed but still insisted on seeking legal advice on whether SI 197 of 2024 applied to fixed-term staff.

When the recommendations were taken to the full council meeting on 5 November 2025, councillors made changes. They agreed to extend the Town Clerk’s contract by one year to November 2026, and then a further four years from December 2026 to November 2030.

Councillors argued that they did not need a legal opinion because it is within their powers to extend the Town Clerk’s contract as long as he is below the legal retirement age of 70.

During the meeting, members of the General Purposes Committee—including Councillor Ndlovu—were not allowed to debate their own report, which is standard council procedure.

“The debate was lively but there were no threats or insults, and anyone claiming otherwise should report to the police.

When the chairperson of the meeting stepped out, councillors continued the meeting and appointed Councillor M. Mahlangu to chair the session,” He added.

They confirmed the earlier decision to add four more years to the Town Clerk’s contract. Councillor Ndlovu stated 28 councillors signed to show they continued with the meeting.

“The full council meeting was legal, and all decisions made are valid.

Councillors and residents must focus on improving service delivery instead of engaging in personal conflicts,” He concluded.