Harare Appoints Chamber Secretary Warren Chiwawa as Acting Town Clerk

By Tendai Chisiri

HARARE – Mayor Jacob Mafume has appointed substantive Chamber Secretary Advocate Warren Sean Chiwawa as Acting Town Clerk for the City of Harare, effective Monday 11 May 2026, until a substantive Town Clerk is appointed.

The appointment was made in terms of Section 137(2) of the Urban Councils Act [Chapter 29:15], which allows the chamber secretary to assume the town clerk’s functions when the office is vacant, or the incumbent is absent or incapacitated.

Announcing the move, Mafume said the appointment followed the law. “That’s what the law says, but he can probably appoint or allow for the appointment of a town clerk while he settles in,” he said.

The Town Clerk’s post has been unoccupied since September 2024, when then substantive Town Clerk Engineer Hosiah Chisango was suspended over allegations of misconduct. Chisango faced charges including awarding a US$9.2 million street lighting tender to a blacklisted company and renewing his contract without authorisation.

He remained on suspension for 17 months, drawing a full salary and benefits estimated at over US$400,000, before resigning in May 2025 ahead of the Commission of Inquiry into Harare Affairs.

Following Chisango’s suspension, Director of Water Engineer Phakamile Mabhena Moyo had been acting as Town Clerk.

Chiwawa was confirmed as substantive Chamber Secretary in February 2026 by the Local Government Board, ending an eight-year vacancy in the post that had been vacant since Josephine Ncube left in 2018. He had been acting in the role since 2021.

With the chamber secretary position now filled substantively, the law automatically assigns him the town clerk’s duties until council appoints a substantive holder.

Mayor Mafume said council is now turning attention to recruiting a substantive Town Clerk and Finance Director, following interviews for the Human Capital and Urban Planning director posts conducted earlier this year.

Chiwawa, a lawyer, said he would serve the local authority with honour and professionalism. Council officials expect the appointment to bring greater administrative continuity after years of leadership instability at Town House.