James Mushore

Mushore is also known for a major event in 2016 when he was hired as the Town Clerk of Harare but was fired on the very same day by the government.

Education

Mushore is a Chartered Accountant. He also holds a Bachelor’s degree in computer science.

Career

Early Career

Before he started NMB Bank, Mushore worked for Coopers & Lybrand (now known as PwC). He worked at their London offices for two years. He also worked in Zimbabwe and Zambia for twelve years. During this time, he became a partner in charge of Corporate Finance.

NMB Bank (Founder and Deputy Managing Director)

Mushore was one of the people who started NMB Bank. In the beginning, he was the Deputy Managing Director. He managed several departments, including Corporate Finance, Information Technology (IT), Internal Audit, and Marketing. He held this job until February 2004.

Other Roles

Mushore is a former president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Zimbabwe. He has also served on the boards of important groups, including:

• The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA)
• The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA)

Criminal Charges and Moving to the UK (2004–2009)

In 2004, the Reserve Bank Governor, Gideon Gono, started investigating banks for illegal foreign currency (money) deals.

Mushore and two other NMB managers, Julius Makoni and William Nyemba, were charged with crimes related to these deals. All three men moved to the United Kingdom.

Newspapers at the time said Mushore ran away to escape the police. However, Mushore always said this was not true. He claimed he was already out of the country when the police asked for him. In an interview, he said:

"I was in London at the time and did not flee the country. What is being written about me is wrong... The warrant was issued 10 days after I had left the country."

Return to NMB Bank

CEO (2010)

After living in the United Kingdom, Mushore returned to Zimbabwe. He rejoined NMB Bank on April 1, 2010, as the Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Resignation (2014)

In October 2014, NMB announced that Mushore would step down as CEO because of poor health. This ended his time at the bank. Benefit Washaya took over his job on November 1, 2014.

Harare Town Clerk Controversy (2016)

In 2016, there was a big conflict involving Mushore, the Harare City Council, and the central government.

The previous Town Clerk, Tendai Mahachi, had retired in 2015. On March 24, 2016, the City Council and Mayor Bernard Manyenyeni appointed James Mushore as the new Town Clerk.

On the same day he was hired, the Minister of Local Government, Saviour Kasukuwere, cancelled the appointment. The government said the Council did not follow the correct rules when hiring him.

The Conflict

Even though the Minister told him to stop, Mushore continued to go to work. He believed his job was legal. This caused many problems:

• Mayor Manyenyeni was suspended on April 20, 2016, for hiring Mushore without following the government's rules.
• The City Council refused to advertise the job again. The Mayor said their "hands were tied" because the case was in court.
• There were four different court cases about this situation. One case involved the Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) suing Minister Kasukuwere for abusing his power [5].

Mushore went to court to challenge his dismissal.