President
Emmerson Mnangagwa appointed a five-member team led by retired High Court
judge, Justice Maphios Cheda, to investigate the operations of the
municipality.
During
hearings, the commission uncovered extensive corruption and mismanagement, with
senior officials and some councillors cited as the chief culprits.
Among the
findings was that the town clerk was earning US$27 000 monthly, which could
rise to US$30 000 with perks, while the lowest-paid executive was earning US$15
000 monthly against poor service delivery.
City directors,
who allegedly had “no payslips,” spent US$124 000 on luxury foreign trips, in
addition to US$1 million on topof-the-range vehicles during the election
period.
It emerged that
the huge perks were not approved by the Local Government Board.
Cheda confirmed
to the media that the report detailed serious concerns regarding the conduct of
certain senior Harare City Council (HCC) officials while presenting the report
to Mnangagwa.
"The
findings of this commission point towards necessary leadership renewal at
Harare City Council," a local government official familiar with the
process said.
A council
official said, “There is panic in council with some managers, who were exposed
for corruption all over the place in search of supernatural powers to survive a
shake-up.”
Combined Harare
Residents Association director, Reuben Akilli, said heads must roll at the
municipality as residents were paying the price for maladministration and
corruption. Newsday
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