Harare City Council yesterday suspended human resources
director and former housing director Matthew Marara and 13 other employees to
allow investigations into corruption allegations that could have prejudiced
council of US$1,1 million in shoddy land deals in Kuwadzana.
The other suspended officials are: principal housing
officer Mr Edgar Dzehonye, Tonderai Mukora from the Survey Section, Believer
Mupawaenda (housing cooperative officer) and Tapiwa Gona (public lighting)
along with Tineyi Kureva, Margaret Sarudzai, Mazano Zvakanyorwa, Wellington
Tauya, Austin Tapuwanashe, Bernard Mukucha, Rudo Pauline Chigocha, Kizito
Chikowore and one only identified as George.
Allegations are that they illegally sold 152 stands in
Kuwadzana in a deal fraught with irregularities in the approval of plans and
production of layout plans prejudicing council of US$1 141 779 in the process.
The suspended officials allegedly identified open spaces in
Kuwadzana 3,4,5 and 6. There was no application for change of land use. The
group then created fictitious payment schemes and fraudulent layout plans.
Plans were presented as if they had been approved by
council and were used to facilitate water connections and the creation of
accounts in the municipal financial system.
Harare town clerk Engineer Hosiah Chisango yesterday
confirmed the suspensions.
“The suspensions are part of the recommendations made by
the Audit Committee to allow the ongoing investigations against those
implicated in land deals,” he said.
A special meeting of the Audit Committee deliberated on the
recommendations to suspend the officials yesterday. Mr Bozman Matengaru is now
the acting human resources director.
In a statement, the council said it was also working to
recover the 152 stands. Marara and some of the fingered personnel have since
appeared in court on corruption and fraud charges.
Council spokesperson Mr Michael Chideme recently encouraged
residents who felt short-changed in the allocation of residential stands
through the housing department to report to the municipal police headquarters
with evidence or proof of their transactions.
In an interview yesterday, Harare Residents Trust director
Mr Precious Shumba said the decisions being made were commendable, but still
hid the depths of corruption.
“Corruption in the City of Harare is deeper than currently
portrayed in the case of the 14 accused and suspended workers,” he said. Herald
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