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Amanda Chikari, Midlands Reporter
ZVISHAVANE Town Council chairperson Councillor Esau Dube has been sacked after he was found guilty of gross misconduct by a three-member tribunal.

Clr Dube was suspended on January 13 by the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister, Cde Saviour Kasukuwere for alleged corruption and misconduct and was subsequently fired on June 5 after a tribunal found him guilty.

Zvishavane Town Secretary, Mr Tinoda Mukutu said: “Yes the town council chairperson Councilor Esau Dube has been fired. His firing follows findings by a three member tribunal chaired by Harare lawyer, Mr Dominic Muzavazi, which was put in place by Minister Kasukuwere.

“The tribunal found Clr Dube guilty of charges which include delaying the approval of the council budget by refusing to sign the performance contract for the town secretary resulting in council operating without a budget for eight months, extending the town secretary’s suspension beyond the limit prescribed in the National Code of Conduct and brought a lawsuit against him without the approval of the council,” said Mr Mukutu.

He said Clr Dube was also found guilty of engaging a lawyer, who is not a council lawyer, to process the lawsuit against the town secretary. When suspending Clr Dube in January, Cde Kasukuwere also accused the town councillors of being a law unto themselves.

He said instead of representing the interests of residents who elected them into office, Zvishavane councillors were picking fights with management to the detriment of service delivery.

The Minister said good corporate governance was no longer being observed.

Cde Kasukuwere said his Ministry had received numerous complaints from residents not happy with how council was being run. Mr Mukutu whom Clr Dube had suspended ended up taking council to the Labour Court which later reinstated him.

@amanda49