Lovemore Chazingwa
KADOMA-A new broom is sweeping the public relations floor at City of Kadoma as the local authority has appointed a substantive manager to take care of business in the long vacant senior position.
Walter Ndlovu is the new public relations manager at the City of Kadoma Malvin Dondo led chambers.
Mayor Cllr Nigel Ruzario told The Midweek Watch that he is confident the new appointment will improve communication strategy, stakeholder engagement and overall reputation management.
“To be honest, the absence of a dedicated PR manager has been a challenge. It affected our communication strategy, stakeholder engagement, and overall reputation as a municipality.
“It cost us in terms of opportunities lost and resources spent on temporary fixes. We’ve been searching for the right person, and are confident have found it in our new PR Manager.”
The city father hopes to leverage social media platforms for holistic benefits.
“Going forward, we expect improved communication, better stakeholder relations, and a more proactive approach to reputation management. We’re looking at leveraging social media, enhancing our website, and increasing transparency. The city will benefit from a more cohesive narrative and improved engagement with residents and stakeholders.”
The city is infamous for operating without a public relations manager for years on end. It is understood to have been ditched by several public relations personnel for unclear reasons.
Of late, only a junior officer, Nyasha Ndambakurima was manning the department, arguably depriving council and stakeholders a high standard service. Inside sources say (council) has been making frantic efforts to hire a substantive manager but, all those efforts were hitting a brick wall.
Sources in the council chambers attributed the duck to unattractive working conditions with some interviewed candidates choosing to change direction after council tabled their employment remuneration and perks.
“We interviewed a senior public relations candidate but changed his minds and did not take up this post. I think it’s probably due to our reward for the job that they decided to dump this offer,” said a senior manager early last year.
His comments came on the brink of announcing the appointment then, which never came to pass.
The job has been failing to find a taker for the past three years, Mayor Ruzario confirmed in a response on the fresh appointment.
Ndlovu brings vast experience to the underperforming institution, having served in a similar role at Gwanda State University and as a trainee at Bulawayo City Council.
There are high hopes for him to turn around the fortunes of the ailing local authority saddled by a raft of challenges.
Efforts to get a comment from Ndlovu on his appointment were fruitless as he only promised to respond but, had not done so at the time of publishing.
