Mayor of Mutare
Executive of the government of Mutare, Zimbabwe
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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.[2]
| Mayor of Mutare | |
|---|---|
Incumbent since 28 November 2023Simon Chabuka | |
| Style | His Worship |
| Inaugural holder | G. F. Dawson |
| Formation | 1914 |
| Website | Official webpage |
History
The Town of Umtali became a municipality, in the form of a town, on 11 June 1914.[3] 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.[3]
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.[4] 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.[4]
In 2008, Brian James, a white MDC–T member, was elected mayor.[5] He was suspended and then fired in 2008 by Ignatius Chombo, who accused James of mismanagement, misconduct, and insubordination.[6] However, the firing was, in reality, thought to be politically motivated.[6]
List of mayors
The following is a list of past mayors of Mutare (previously known as Umtali until 1983).
| Mayor | Term start | Term end | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G. F. Dawson | 1914 | 1916 | [1] | ||
| W. J. Hosgood | 1916 | 1917 | [1] | ||
| G. F. Dawson | 1917 | 1918 | [1] | ||
| Charles Eickhoff | 1918 | 1920 | RGA | [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 | 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 | August 1975 | August 1977 | [1][7] | ||
| Douglas G. Reed | 1977 | 1978 | [1] | ||
| Max Phillips | 1978 | 1980 | [1][8] | ||
| Davidson Jahwi | November 1980 | 24 January 1984 | ZANU–PF | [1][9][10] | |
| Enock Msabaeka | 1984 | 1991 | |||
| Lawrence Mudehwe | October 1990 | August 2003 | ZANU–PF (before 1995) | [11] | |
| Independent (1995–1999) | |||||
| MDC–T (after 1999) | |||||
| Misheck Kagurabadza | 2003 | 23 July 2005 | MDC–T | [12] | |
| Mayor suspended; Mutare administered by a special commission[13] | |||||
| Brian James | 2008 | April 2013 | MDC–T | [5][6] | |
| Tatenda Nhamarare | September 2013 | September 2018 | MDC–T | [14] | |
| Blessing Tandi | 6 September 2018 | 11 February 2022 | MDC Alliance | [15][16][17] | |
| Simon Chabuka | 17 February 2022 | August 2023 | CCC | [16][17][2] | |
| Sophia Rudo Gwasira | 11 September 2023 | 9 November 2023 | CCC | [18][19] | |
| Simon Chabuka | 28 November 2023 | CCC | [2] | ||
Deputy mayors
Notable former deputy mayors
- Leslie Herbert Morris, future mayor
- John Constantinos Kircos, future mayor
- E. M. Phillips, future mayor