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Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
VICTORIA Falls City Council has renewed Town Clerk Mr Ronnie Dube’s contract by another five years and the local authority says due process was followed in extending the contract.

Mr Dube (53) joined the local authority on 1 December 2016 replacing Mr Christopher Dube who moved to become Bulawayo Town Clerk.

Mr Dube is a former chamber secretary at both the Victoria Falls and Gwanda councils as well as an ex-chief executive officer at Tsholotsho Rural District Council.

When he joined Victoria Falls Municipality, Mr Dube’s mandate was to help the municipality attain city status which was achieved in December last year when President Mnangagwa conferred the status, making it the second city in Matabeleland region after Bulawayo.

In a statement, Mayor Councillor Somveli Dlamini said due processes were followed in extending Mr Dube’s contract.

“For the record, the Town Clerk’s contract was extended by council for a further period of five years in October 2020 and all due processes were done,” said Clr Dlamini.

He bemoaned attacks on the local authority by “unregistered” media outlets using WhatsApp and online platforms claiming council had corruptly extended Mr Dube’s contract.

“The Victoria Falls Municipality wishes to advise its residents and stakeholders to take note that there are numerous articles that have come to our attention misrepresenting facts on the official position of council on various matters. The public is advised to shun paying attention to speculative and unsubstantiated notions circulating on social media.

“The council’s position is only communicated via our registered electronic channels and selected media houses that have been cleared. Messages being circulating are spurious and aimed at derailing residents’ attention from the fundamental role that the local authority plays in providing essential services,” said Clr Dlamini.

He urged residents to get information from official council offices.

The city’s public relations and economic development officer Mr Ngqabuto Moyo said the resort city’s image as a tourist destination risk being tarnished by disinformation and misinformation.

“We have noticed lately the sprouting of some unregistered and uncontrolled media outlets churning out news on WhatsApp and online platforms spreading unverified information thereby misinforming the country and world about Victoria Falls. We lament this because it misleads residents, Government and the whole country and that damages our destination which all responsible citizens are working hard to build. People should get information from the right people through the right channels.

“As a city that is based on tourism, our thrust is tourism revival hence we have to protect our brand. We need proper management of information lest we destabilise efforts being made to market the destination,” said Mr Moyo.

Mr Dube said he is guided by his contract to serve the interests of the city and country. — @ncubeleon