The
councillors
appended
their
signatures
to
the
Zimbabwe
Anti-Corruption
Commission
Integrity
Pledge
during
a
ceremony
held
on
Wednesday
in
the
council
chamber
at
City
Hall.
The
move
comes
after
earlier
resistance
from
some
councillors
in
Bulawayo
and
Gwanda,
who
had
raised
concerns
about
committing
to
the
document
without
fully
understanding
its
contents.
During
earlier
engagements
involving
officials
from
Bulawayo
City
Council,
Gwanda
Municipality
and
Plumtree
Town
Council,
some
councillors
said
they
needed
more
time
to
read
and
consult
on
the
pledge
before
signing
it.
At
the
time,
senior
management
at
Bulawayo
City
Council
and
councillors
from
Plumtree
had
already
signed
the
pledge,
leaving
Bulawayo
councillors
among
those
yet
to
do
so.
Speaking
during
Wednesday’s
signing
ceremony,
Director
of
Local
Government
in
Bulawayo,
Tswagai
Marovatsanga,
said
the
pledge
was
a
commitment
by
city
leaders
to
uphold
ethical
leadership
and
accountability.
“This
integrity
pledge
is
a
promise
that
the
stewards
of
this
city
will
operate
with
integrity,
transparency,
accountability
and
ethical
fortitude,”
she
said.
Ms
Marovatsanga
said
the
pledge
was
rooted
in
the
country’s
constitutional
principles,
noting
that
public
officials
are
expected
to
uphold
the
highest
standards
of
professional
ethics
and
remain
accountable
to
citizens.
She
added
that
local
authorities
have
an
important
role
in
promoting
good
governance
as
Zimbabwe
moves
towards
implementing
its
next
national
development
plan.
“Without
integrity,
development
goals
remain
a
vision
on
paper,”
she
said.
Ms
Marovatsanga
also
said
transparent
governance
at
local
authority
level
was
key
to
achieving
Zimbabwe’s
broader
development
targets,
including
the
ambition
of
attaining
an
upper-middle-income
economy
by
2030.
She
said
councillors
who
signed
the
pledge
were
demonstrating
their
commitment
to
responsible
leadership
and
improved
service
delivery
for
residents
of
Bulawayo.