THE commission of inquiry investigating City of Harare management and council on financial management issues dating back to 2017 has exposed corruption in the leasing out of Rufaro Marketing’s properties to various tenants.
In May, President Emmerson Mnangagwa appointed the commission led by retired judge Justice Maphios Cheda.
The commission is investigating financial management systems and audit compliance with the Public Finance Management Act and financial management of revenue generated through special vehicle companies and other out-sourced arrangements.
Yesterday, the commission questioned the legality of the allocation of Hunter Bar in Mabvuku to Alexio Nyakudya without any reference process.
Nyakudya is the ward 21 councillor representing the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC).
Leading evidence, commissioner Thabani Mpofu questioned the manner in which Nyakudya acquired the property from former Rufaro Marketing chief executive Daniel Mutiwadirwa.
Nyakudya told the commission that he simply wrote an application letter and received confirmation notifying him to pay a deposit.
“When I met Daniel Mutiwadirwa, I asked him for an application letter, (and that is when) he said this place was open to everybody,” he said.
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Nyakudya acknowledged that the manner in which he got the opportunity was not one he would recommend to anyone.
He, however, has been accused of collecting rent from tenants he sub-leased the main premises.
Brenda Samuruta, a tenant, who has been running Zebra Island Bar at the premises for the past four years, testified that she has been paying rent to Nyakudya.
“I operate Zebra Island Bar under Rufaro Marketing premises. I started to rent these premises, that is, Zebra Island, about four years ago. I was paying rent to one Alexio Nyakudya. He is the current councillor for ward 21 in Mabvuku representing CCC.
“When we started to rent there, we were informed that he was the one in charge of the premises. When we were looking for a bottlestore, he was the person whom we first got in contact with,” she said.
“We just heard that he is the one in charge and then we approached him and he confirmed to be in charge of the premises. I was paying US$300 on a monthly basis.
“We were not issued with receipts. We had suspicions, but we feared that if you ask about it, you would then be asked to move out. And that place is the one that was sustaining my family.”
Another witness, Dominic Kufandirori, said he was previously paying US$400, but the rentals were increased to US$700 before another increment saw him paying US$900.
“When the officials from Rufaro Marketing came in 2023, they actually gathered almost everybody or every tenant. In fact, the structure is like there is a main bar and then an off-sale, which was demarcated into several compartments,” Kufandirori said.
“And then there were some (gaps) made in the walls to make them tuckshops. If I am not mistaken, there are about 30 tuckshops.”
He, however, indicated that he was now paying US$500 to Rufaro Marketing. The commissioners accused Nyakudya of unlawfully acquiring council property and illegally renting out the premises to more than 30 tenants.
