Residents debate on executive and ceremonial mayors
Grace Moyo
Reports that the Citizen Coalition for Change has earmarked former Education Minister for the Bulawayo mayoral position has ignited a debate on the effectiveness of people who have held this position in the city.
In a Community Podium Whatsapp group for Bulawayo residents, group members were divided on the suitability of councillors for the prestigiou mayoral position. The discussion led to comparisons being drawn between yesteryear executive mayors and the “ceremonial” mayors of recent times.
One group member started it all by saying “Just compare Solomon (Mguni) lo Coltart. You will get an answer on future prospects.” Mguni is the current Mayor.
Another resident chipped in to say all mayors that come in just have to follow a set user manual of mediocrity, hence expecting changes in terms of service delivery was asking for too much. “Yikuthi once wangena ubuMayor you follow user manual yabo,” they said, to which someone responded, “Mina I think oMayor koBulawayo kwacina uNdabeni Ncube from there our city went down. Maybe that’s when “the user manual” was developed.
Another resident said the difference is down to the level of authority of executive and ceremonial mayors.
“Ndabeni was not a ceremonial mayor but an executive mayor who was CEO of the city. He could make decisions. After that government took away their power baba kuposition nje. More of mayors by name,” they said.
A Mayoral executive system allows for the exercise of executive authority through an executive mayor in whom the executive leadership of the municipality is vested and who is assisted by a mayoral committee.
When the system of executive mayors was abolished and cities and towns reverted back to the former system of ceremonial mayors, the town clerks gained undiluted authority as chief executives.
The first two decades after independence saw the ZANU-PF led government being tolerant of mayors. However, after the formation of a strong opposition, the MDC, the ZANU-PF led central government began to utilise a number of procedures meant to weaken the institution of the mayoral office, including the abolition of the executive mayoral system in 2008 through the Local Government Laws Amendment Number 1 of 2008.
Ceremonial mayors have often been blamed for poor service delivery by residents.
Another group member said, notwithstanding the fact that ceremonial lawyers have less influence in council work, the recent mayors lacked capacity in comparison to old time mayors. He said the problem stems from voting for parties and not competent individuals.
“Okunye nje, the capacity of our councillors is now low. We used to have proper city fathers.I hope one day we will remove our votes from autopilot. Voting for anyone and anything as long as it is not Zanu needs to stop,” they said, to which another contributor said, “Ngivumelana lawe. People must vote for proper leaders not for parties.”
While responding to a group member who said a good education should be a prerequisite to landing the mayoral position, Bulawayo Central Member of Parliament, Nicola Watson said “Bear in mind Solomon is a lawyer.”
The ruling ZANU-PF central government has largely been intolerant of mayors, especially those aligned to the opposition, at the expense of public service delivery.
Mayors are often suspended and/or dismissed. Most of the suspensions which took place between 2000 and 2008 were followed by dismissals without due process of law being properly followed.
