Regarding Press Reports Concerning the Town Clerk’s Contract
Date: 21st November 2025
This statement is issued following the publication this week of two articles by the Chronicle on 17th and 20th November 2025 entitled “Bulawayo Town Clerk gets one year extension amid legal review on retirement age” and “Coltart furious at councillors after Town Clerk’s contract extended.” Both articles contain material inaccuracies, and the facts need to be clearly set out.
Clarifications on the Articles:
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The article of 17th November is entirely incorrect. Although the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) General Purposes Committee unanimously recommended a one-year extension of the Town Clerk’s contract, that recommendation was not resolved at the Full Council meeting of 5th November 2025. Therefore, no such resolution exists.
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The 20th November article contains several errors:
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It states there was a council meeting on 19th November 2025; there was no such meeting. The last Full Council meeting was on 5th November. I also did not attend any meeting on 19th November.
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It alleges I attended a meeting with Minister of State Judith Ncube and Minister of Local Government Danie Garwe—no such meeting occurred.
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It claims that I walked out of a meeting immediately after councillors voted unanimously to grant the Town Clerk a new contract. No vote took place in my presence.
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It falsely states I was the only councillor opposing the contract extension, which is untrue.
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While some points are correct, such as the request by Minister Garwe for a legal opinion from the Attorney General on retirement legislation and my concern about the need for a performance evaluation, the claim that a legal resolution was passed extending the Town Clerk’s contract by five years is seriously incorrect.
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Key Facts of the Matter:
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The Town Clerk’s existing contract, dated 10th October 2024, signed by him and me as Mayor, is a fixed-term contract from 1st October 2024 to 30th November 2025.
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On 22nd September, the BCC General Purposes Committee considered a resolution to extend the Town Clerk’s contract until he reaches age 70, based on Statutory Instrument (SI) 197 of 2024 raising mandatory retirement in the Public Service from 65 to 70 years. Concerns arose whether this applies to fixed-term contracts, with potential financial implications if it did.
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A subsequent meeting on 29th September failed due to lack of quorum amid intimidation, and a rescheduled meeting on 30th September also failed quorum. During this meeting, the Town Clerk threatened me, but later apologized in writing.
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On 1st October Full Council meeting, the Town Clerk bypassed normal procedures by submitting his own contract extension recommendation. Due to disorder, slander, and threats, I adjourned the meeting without any resolution.
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On 6th October, I met Hon Minister Judith Ncube seeking her intervention due to council divisions and tensions.
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On 9th October, I met with Minister Garwe, the Town Clerk, and Deputy Minister Mavhunga. I raised concerns about applying SI 197/2024 to fixed-term contracts, which the Minister acknowledged. He recommended seeking an opinion from the Attorney General’s office, which I agreed with.
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On 27th October, I met with the Town Clerk and a Senior Counsel, and we agreed on a proposal: (a) extend the Town Clerk’s contract by one year; (b) seek a legal opinion on SI 197/2024’s applicability; and (c) if applicable, extend to retirement age 70.
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That afternoon, the General Purposes Committee (with quorum) unanimously passed this resolution for referral to the Full Council meeting on 5th November.
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At the 5th November Full Council meeting, after presenting the resolution, some councillors argued for a five-year extension, disregarding the Minister’s recommendation. The ensuing disorder, threats, and slander made free and fair debate impossible, so I adjourned the meeting. As I left, an attempt was made to block my exit by some councillors.
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After the adjournment, an illegal meeting was convened extending the Town Clerk’s contract by five years under intimidation.
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According to Clause 34 of BCC Standing Orders, my decision to adjourn the meeting was lawful in the face of disorder.
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Clause 44 of BCC Standing Orders requires formal notice of meetings; no such notice was given for the subsequent meeting, making it unlawful.
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Since 5th November, there have been unacceptable threats against BCC management members.
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The leaking of confidential Council documents to the Chronicle, which inaccurately portray facts, is unacceptable and has prompted this statement.
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The “resolution” passed at the unlawful meeting has no legal force. Therefore, there is no binding resolution extending the Town Clerk’s contract.
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The General Purposes Committee, which I chair, remains committed to a lawful and rational solution but cannot operate amid illegal conduct, intimidation, and personal interests overshadowing the City’s challenges. This situation must end for the welfare of Bulawayo’s residents.
Signed,
Senator David Coltart
Mayor of Bulawayo
21st November 2025
