The eight Bulawayo City Council (BCC) councillors who won in the 26 March by-elections were sworn in on Monday.
The swearing-in ceremony, which was held at the council chamber, was attended by the newly-elected councillors, other councillors, heads of council departments, and invited guests.
All the eight councillors were elected on Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) tickets, with five of them formerly MDC Alliance councillors who were recalled from Council by the MDC-T.
The eight are Edwin Ndlovu (Ward 8), Donaldson Mabutho (Ward 9), Lilian Mlilo (Ward 12), Concilia Mlalazi (Ward 13), Christopher Dube (Ward 19), Alderman Earnest Rafamoyo (Ward 20), Tinevimbo Maphosa (Ward 21) and Mpumelelo Moyo (Ward 26).
The swearing-in ceremony was presided over by BCC Town Clerk Christopher Dube while council chamber secretary Sikhangele Zhou assisted the councillors in reciting the oath.
In his remarks soon after the swearing-in ceremony, Bulawayo mayor Solomon Mguni urged all the councillors to work together across the political divide. He said:
For the first time in 20 years, we now have a multiparty chamber and we should work together as councillors for the City of Bulawayo.
We have been given the mandate to serve our people and we call upon unity in the cockpit and serve everyone equally and equitably and the committees should embrace each and every one of us.
Our mandate is to serve the people of Bulawayo. Our main mandate is carrying upon our shoulders the vision of the city, which is to be a smart and transformative city by the year 2024 and we expected all of us to champion this vision and be guided by the values of the city that is integrity, transparency, innovation, accountability, fairness and consultation.