Blessing Nduku
GWERU City Council town clerk has been fired after being found guilty of two counts related to insubordination and incompetence by a disciplinary committee.
The committee found Elizabeth Gwatipedza who has been on suspension since October last year guilty of willful disobedience to a lawful order and gross inefficiency at the close of a disciplinary hearing.
She stood accused of refusing to follow orders from Mayor Councilor Josiah Makombe among other charges of negligence of duty, incompetence and mismanagement.
Gwatipedza through her legal representation had urged that there is no specific provision in the Urban Councils Act which obliged her to take orders from the Mayor as she was supposed to act through council resolutions.
No council official was at comfort to confirm the development to CommuTalk though documents in possession of this publication showed that the disciplinary committee had recommended Gwatipedza’s expalsion from the council’s top office.
The documents actually reveal that Melusi Moyo of Dube-Banda, Nzarayapera legal practitioners presided over Gwatipedza’s disciplinary hearings which stretched for over eight months.
Moyo recommended the dismissal of Gwatipedza from the employment of the City which were adopted by a special full council meeting held last Friday thereby sealing her fate.
He also recommended that council notifies Gwatipedza of her dismissal from Council employment and that council notifies the Local Government Board about her dismissal.
CommuTalk is also well informed that Gwatipedza’s judgement delayed by almost a month following delays by her lawyers in bringing forward their submissions to the disciplinary committee.
Meanwhile, suspended Estates and valuations Officer Gibson Chingwadza’s case is still being heard. Chingwadza is being accused of prejudicing council of over $300 000 in shoddy property leases and land deals.
