The Mayor of Chitungwiza has been formally served with a complaint by the Chitungwiza Residents Trust, raising concerns over what residents describe as a sustained disregard of the Deputy Mayor’s statutory role within council operations.
In a letter dated and stamped received at the municipality’s head office on April 28, 2026, CHITREST challenges what it says is a recurring administrative practice where, in the Mayor’s absence, a councillor is appointed to act instead of the elected Deputy Mayor. The organisation argues that this approach runs contrary to the provisions of the Urban Councils Act, which outlines a clear line of succession.
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The residents’ body contends that Section 104 of the Act provides a mandatory framework under which the Deputy Mayor assumes mayoral duties whenever the Mayor is unavailable, leaving no discretion for alternative appointments where the office bearer is present and capable. By deviating from this structure, CHITREST argues, the municipality risks operating outside the confines of the law.
The letter frames the issue not only as a legal concern but also as an institutional one, warning that sidelining the Deputy Mayor could weaken governance structures within council and create divisions among elected officials. Such dynamics, the organisation suggests, have potential knock-on effects on service delivery at a time when residents are already grappling with persistent urban management challenges.
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