Leonard Ncube Victoria Falls Reporter
FIRED Bulawayo regional magistrate, Sikhumbuzo Nyathi, who applied for the Chamber Secretary’s post at the Victoria Falls Municipality, has been disqualified because of his criminal record.
The local authority advertised for the post after the former office bearer, Philip Sigangatsha Ndlovu, retired last year.
Nyathi, who was a senior regional magistrate in Bulawayo, was fired after a disciplinary panel investigating his case of misconduct concluded that he was guilty of trying to bribe a junior magistrate to influence her judgment.
He was among five people shortlisted for the chamber’s secretary’s post in Victoria Falls recently.
However, according to the latest council minutes, Nyathi was disqualified despite scoring the highest marks in the first round of interviews.
He will miss the second round of the interviews after councillors noted that he had been discharged from a public office for misconduct.
“Council was informed that the interviews for the position of Chamber Secretary were held and five candidates were shortlisted.
“Four applicants were interviewed and council resolved that three (names withheld) be referred for the second round interviews by the Local Government Board despite the fact that Sikhumbuzo Nyathi scored the highest marks,” read the council report.
“The greatest challenge was that Sikhumbuzo Nyathi had recently been discharged by the Judiciary Service Commission (JSC) for dishonesty, so he was accordingly disqualified for the position of Chamber Secretary although according to him he had appealed against the dismissal and the appeal suspended everything.”
Nyathi scored 95, 25 percent, two points ahead of the second placed interviewee.
The interviewing panel comprised the Town Clerk, Christopher Dube representing the municipality, Provincial Administrator for Matabeleland North, Latiso Dlamini, Hwange District Administrator, Tapera Mugoriya, and an unnamed officer from the Civil Service Commission (CSC) human resources department who represented the Ministry of Local Government.
The panel disqualified Nyathi on the advice of the CSC.
“The panel on the advice of the Civil Service Commission felt that the issue was very recent and still fresh in the public eye and that the appeal was unlikely to be concluded before the second round of interviews by the Local Government Board, therefore the candidate Sikhumbuzo Nyathi was disqualified,” read the minutes.
Nyathi was suspended in March last year after a whistle blower notified Chief Magistrate Mishrod Guvamombe that he had sent to the then Lupane-based Magistrate Aelene Munamati $305 to influence her judgment against a certain Clement Hwanda early last year.
He was subsequently fired by the JSC in July after a disciplinary committee chaired by the Chief Registrar of Superior Courts, Munamato Mutevedzi, concluded that he was guilty of misconduct.
Hwanda was eventually convicted and fined $300. Nyathi appealed against the decision to fire him.