5 vie for chamber secretary post
HARARE City Council this week interviewed five prospective candidates, including acting chamber secretary Mr Warren Chiwawa, for the vacant post of chamber secretary.
Other interviewees grilled by an eight-member panel led by Harare City Council town clerk Engineer Hosiah Chisango were former Chitungwiza Municipality chamber secretary Ms Charity Maunga and Harare City Council legal officer Ms Alice Zeure.
Harare City Council acting legal manager Mr Ernest Mushava and Sports and Recreation Commission head of legal Angeline
Mudada were also interviewed.
Harare has had no substantive chamber secretary since the departure of Mrs Josephine Ncube in 2018 when Mr Charles Kandemiri took over in an acting capacity.
He was suspended in 2021 on criminal abuse of office charges before Mr Chiwawa took over.
Mr Kandemiri was in 2023 jailed an effective six years for criminal abuse of office involving trying to sell Mount Pleasant Golf Club and Golf Course.
The public interviews were aired live on Zimpapers Television Network, ZTN Prime.
Acting city chamber secretary Mr Chiwawa, who was the first to be interviewed, said he believed he was the right candidate for the post having seen it all with over 15 years’ experience as a legal practitioner.
“I have worked as a senior law officer in charge of legal drafting,” he said. “I drafted quite a lot of legislation both statutory instruments and actual Acts of Government, notably drafting over 200 by-laws for local authorities, including the city of Harare while I was there.
“From 2014 up to now I have also been involved in a lot of legal work, for example by-laws, amendments, proceedings of council by-laws, anti-litter by-laws, hawkers by-laws to mention just a few. I think I have the requisite knowledge now.”
Mr Chiwawa said he had been involved in legal advice at both Government and city of Harare level.
“I have been in the chain of hierarchy for the city as senior legal officer, chief legal officer, as head legal in an acting capacity and as chamber secretary in an acting capacity as well,” he said. “For a period in excess of three years, we have done well.
“There was a time in 2021 when things had gone haywire, all the executives were hounded out of the organisation, but we managed to keep the organisation afloat. We managed to still consult from within and from outside to ensure that the organisation stayed afloat.”
Mr Chiwawa said he had established good communication with his seniors, the Government and even the law enforcement agencies.
Ms Zeure said her educational skills make her the right candidate for the top post.
“I am someone with keen interests in going to school,” she said. “The advantage of continuously going to school is you are updated about legal developments and what is currently happening in society and the environment.
“Last week when I was at school, I was surprised to learn that some of the cases that I have been winning, I have been winning them but the Judge was applying wrong jurisprudence.”
Former Chitungwiza Municipality chamber secretary Mrs Maunga said she once occupied a similar portfolio, hence her experience made her the right candidate.
Sports and Recreation Commission head of legal and company secretary Ms Mudada said she is hard-working and not afraid to lead from the front.
“I believe I am the right candidate as I do have experience working in the public sector and believe that I will be able to contribute effectively to the council with all the experience that I have gained in my previous roles,” she said.
Harare City Council acting legal manager Mr Ernest Mushava said: “I bring maturity, integrity, transparency and commitment to the cause of the City of Harare, which is service delivery.”