CONFERENCE CLASH! Bulawayo councillors fight for travel slots and hotel perks

Nqobile Bhebhe

IT’S no longer about service delivery. Some Bulawayo councillors are now fighting tooth and nail to get out-of-town conference slots, with travel, hotels and perks at the centre of the scramble.

During a heated full council meeting, several councillors openly lobbied for inclusion in travel delegations, arguing that some committees were hogging all the benefits.

A report on the recently held Khumbul’ekhaya Investment Conference in Harare sparked the drama, with Councillor Ntombizodwa Khumalo demanding that members of the General Purposes Committee also get a slice of the travel pie.
“It would not be reasonable for one Committee to attend two consecutive conferences whilst other Committees were not benefiting from similar experiences,” echoed Councillor Royini Sekete, backing Khumalo’s sentiments.

Councillor Khalazani Ndlovu took things a step further, proposing to replace Mayor David Coltart at the Harare conference. She found support from Councillor Mpumelelo Moyo, who claimed their committee had followed proper channels.

Councillor Dumisani Netha, Chair of the Town Lands and Planning Committee, made it clear he wasn’t about to be left out.
“As the Chairperson of the Town Lands and Planning Committee, he believed he needed to attend the conference,” the report noted, citing the importance of presenting the city’s Local Subject Plan.

Mayor Coltart, citing other commitments, opted out and handed over duties to Deputy Mayor Edwin Ndlovu. He also ordered the Acting Chamber Secretary to produce a full list of who’s going.

In the end, council caved in to the pressure and expanded the Harare delegation to include Councillors Netha, Khumalo, Sekete and Ndlovu.

For the upcoming Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo in Mutare from 10 to 12 September 2025, the lobbying continued.

Councillor Sekete said it’s high time others get a chance. “He urged the Committee to be considerate of those who had not been participating in workshops,” the report read .

Councillor Moyo then proposed that Muziwakibo Masuku, Lazarus Mphadwe and Greater Gumede be added to the Business and Investment Committee delegation.

Deputy Mayor Ndlovu supported the move, saying the expo aligned well with council business and could justify the additional members.

In the end, the General Purposes Committee gave the green light.
“That Council attends and exhibits at the Sanganai/Hlanganani – World Tourism Expo scheduled to take place from the 10th to the 12th of September 2025 in Mutare and be represented by eight officers from the Exhibition Committee, members of the Business and Investment

Committee, Councillors M. Masuku, L. Mphadwe and G. Gumede.
“That Council pays for their travel, accommodation, subsistence and incidental allowance costs in the usual manner.”

With the travel tug-of-war intensifying, it seems some councillors have found a new favourite committee — the one that travels.

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