Stephen Chadenga
Infighting has rocked Beitbridge Town Council amid reports that Citizens Coalition for Change councillors on Monday held a meeting to oust mayor Peter Mafuta Pirato.
According to information gathered by The Blast, Deputy Mayor John Manatsa(ward 6) chaired the full council meeting to pass a vote of no confidence against Pirato.
The reasons cited to remove Pirato include failure to see execution of key projects and council resolutions.
It was cited during the meeting that the projects include failed completion of a long distance bus terminus, which has seen buses loading at undesignated sites where there are no ablution facilities, failure to have a supplied grader delivered to the municipality, construction of sewer trunk line to accommodate new residential developments, failure by mayor to hold feedback meetings with councillors after attending council business, disruption and or postponement of full council meetings due to mayor’s absence and failure to recruit a substantive finance director, four months after the position was advertised.
Beitbridge Town Council Town Clerk, Loud Ramagkapola was not immediately available for comment.
When contacted for comment Pirato said he was in a meeting.
Under Zimbabwean law, a mayor can however be removed from office by the President, but only after an independent tribunal and investigates allegations leveled against him or her.
The process to remove a mayor from office usually requires the Minister of Local Government to suspend him or her if there are reasonable grounds to believe mayor us unable to perform duties due to incapacity or misconduct.
Once suspension occurs an independent tribunal appointed in accordance with the constitution must fully investigate the allegations and make a recommendation whether the mayor should be removed from office. The President, based on the tribunal’s findings can then decide to remove the mayor from office.
A source at the border town local authority who requested anonymity however said the decision to evoke a vote of no confidence against Pirato by his fellow colleagues was motivated by political infighting and self and interests.
“The motivation in this move was motivated by internal political infighting and self interests rather than grounds for the removal of a mayor as cited in the constitution that include incapacity, gross incompetence and misconduct, corruption and abuse of office and violation and of the law,”he said.
The official said removing a mayor from office required due process and diligence as outlined by the independent tribunal and relevant legislation.