Mayor of Mutare

The Mayor of Mutare is the executive of the government of Mutare, Zimbabwe (known as Umtali until 1983). The Mayor is a member of the Mutare City Council, and is assisted by a deputy mayor. The Mayor uses the style "His Worship".[1] The current mayor is Simon Chabuka.

Mayor of Mutare
Incumbent
Simon Chabuka
since February 2022
StyleHis Worship
Inaugural holderG. F. Dawson
Formation1914 (1914)
WebsiteOfficial webpage

History

The Town of Umtali became a municipality, in the form of a town, on 11 June 1914.[2] Its first mayor, elected in August 1914, was G. F. Dawson. The mayor and new municipal council replaced the Sanitary Board which had previously governed the settlement.[2]

In 1980, following Zimbabwe's independence, Davidson Jahwi was elected the first black Mayor of Umtali.[1]

Umtali's name was changed to Mutare in 1983.

In 2005, Mayor Misheck Kagurabadza (MDC–T) was suspended from his position by the Minister of Local Government, Ignatius Chombo.[3] Mutare, along with other major cities that had seen their democratically elected MDC–T mayors suspended, was governed by a ZANU–PF-dominated special commission until 2008.[3]

In 2008, Brian James, a white MDC–T member, was elected mayor.[4] He was suspended and then fired in 2008 by Ignatius Chombo, who accused James of mismanagement, misconduct, and insubordination.[5] However, the firing was, in reality, thought to be politically motivated.[5]

Deputy mayors

Notable former deputy mayors
  • Leslie Herbert Morris, future mayor
  • John Constantinos Kircos, future mayor
  • E. M. Phillips, future mayor

List of mayors

The following is a list of past mayors of Mutare (previously known as Umtali until 1983).

Mayor Term start Term end   Party Ref.
G. F. Dawson 1914 1916 [1]
W. J. Hosgood 1916 1917 [1]
G. F. Dawson 1917 1918 [1]
Charles Eickhoff 1918 1920 Responsible Government Association [1]
Jack Meikle 1920 1921 [1]
W. J. McIntosh 1921 1922 [1]
Jack Meikle 1922 1923 [1]
W. Stevens 1923 1925 [1]
J. H. Jeffreys 1925 1926 [1]
Frederick J. Taylor 1926 1927 [1]
W. J. McIntosh 1927 1928 [1]
L. Miller 1928 1929 [1]
Oswald Trevor Baker 1929 1932 Rhodesia Party [1]
JT Woods 1932 1934 [1]
Alfred Bain 1934 1938 [1]
George Washington Chace 1938 1941 Southern Rhodesia Liberal Party [1]
W. R. Love 1941 1942 [1]
Edward King Evans 1942 1945 [1]
Demetrius Catsicas 1945 1948 [1]
R. T. Perkins 1948 1949 [1]
Saxon W. Wood 1949 1952 [1]
Harry Went 1952 1953 [1]
Johannes Mattheus Wessels 1953 1955 [1]
Norman Innes 1955 1957 [1]
Demetrius Catsicas 1957 1958 [1]
George Robert Leach 1958 1959 [1]
Jack Mussett 1959 1961 [1]
Leslie Herbert Morris 1961 1964 United Federal Party [1]
James W. MacGregor 1964 1966 [1]
W. W. S. Smart 1966 1968 [1]
James Somerville Murray 1968 1969 [1]
John Constantinos Kircos 1969 1972 [1]
Douglas G. Reed 1972 1975 [1]
John Charles Burke 1975 1977 [1]
Douglas G. Reed 1977 1978 [1]
E. M. Phillips 1978 1980 [1][6]
Davidson Jahwi 1980 24 January 1984 ZANU–PF [1][7]
Enock Msabaeka 1984 1991
Lawrence Mudehwe October 1990 August 2003 ZANU–PF (before 1995) [8]
Independent (1995–1999)
MDC–T (after 1999)
Misheck Kagurabadza 2003 23 July 2005 MDC–T [9]
Mayor suspended; Mutare administered by a special commission
Brian James 2008 April 2013 MDC–T [4][5]
Tatenda Nhamarare September 2013 Incumbent MDC–T [10]

References
  1. Minute of His Worship the Mayor. City of Umtali. 1980. p. 5.
  2. Shoebridge, Clyde L. (December 1969). "The Umtali Tramways Limited" (PDF). Rhodesiana. 21: 7.
  3. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2007. Government Printing Office. 2008. p. 642. ISBN 9780160813993.
  4. Rogers, Douglas (14 April 2010). "Zimbabwe's Accidental Triumph". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  5. Sibanda, Tichaona (20 April 2013). "Zimbabwe: Suspended Mutare Mayor Brian James Speaks Out On Dismissal". SW Radio Africa (London). Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  6. Thatcher, Gary (15 January 1980). "Rhodesia city skeptical as border opens". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  7. Meldrum, Andrew (25 January 1984). "Council tumbles to Zanu radical". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  8. Olukoshi, Adebayo O. (1998). The Politics of Opposition in Contemporary Africa. Nordic Africa Institute. p. 105. ISBN 9789171064196.
  9. "Zim suspends MDC mayor". News24. 30 December 2005. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  10. Chiketo, Bernard (17 September 2013). "Nhamarare elected Mutare mayor". DailyNews Live. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
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