Harare | Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) councillors for Harare on Tuesday elected Lovejoy Chitengu to be the new mayor to replace Ian Makone, who served briefly before being recalled by interim party secretary general Sengezo Tshabangu.
The councillors also elected Rosemary Muronda as the deputy mayor to replace Kudzai Kadzombe whose tenure was also shortened by the recall.
Makone, who won his council seat in the August 23 and 24 harmonised elections, took over from Jacob Mafume after party leader Nelson Chamisa directed the councillors to elect him, the same way he did in Bulawayo, where David Coltart was voted mayor.
In his acceptance speech, Chitengu paid tribute to his predecessors saying they had made a mark during their short stint at the helm of the town house.
“It is a sad moment because councillor Makone, councilor Kadzombe and the other recalled councillors are such hard workers who have made their mark over the period of their term, cut short by these recalls. It is sad that this is happening, not because they have done anything wrong but because they are precisely the opposite.
“The relief we can derive is from the assurances they have given that they will remain available for consultation on a wide range of decisions that the council must take. More than that, I look forward to their return to this chamber, either as a result of a court decision or the ballot within the next 90 days,” he said.
Tshabangu recalled a total of eight councillors, including Makone.
Chitengu said the CCC had weighed the injustice caused by the unnecessary recall of their colleagues against the loftier goal of serving the residents of the great city.
“The party decided to remain consistent with its principle of putting citizens at the centre of all its decisions. A leadership vacuum in the city would not serve the interests of residents, hence the decision to quickly plug the holes emanating from the unnecessary recalls,” he said, adding he would steer the council to fight the raging cholera outbreak.
“The need for the council to remain focused on its transformative agenda towards a smart city that works for everyone must remain at the forefront of our actions.
We must not take this trust for granted as we navigate through these turbulent waters.”
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