THE ongoing commission of inquiry into the affairs of Harare City Council has revealed shocking levels of corruption, with councillors and top officials allegedly turning the city into a "crime scene."
The commission has exposed a web of malfeasance, including the stripping of city assets, entering into dubious partnerships and looting of public funds.
The extent of the corruption has been laid bare during public hearings, uncovering systematic abuse of power that has significantly contributed to the city’s deteriorating infrastructure and services.
Early this year, President Emmerson Mnangagwa appointed a commission of inquiry to investigate the operations of Harare City Council and its business units, covering the period from 2017 to date.
The commission is chaired by retired judge Justice Maphios Cheda.
Harare Residents Trust director Precious Shumba said there was no political will to eradicate the rot bedevilling the City of Harare.
“All the top management, councillors and national government bureaucrats know the extent of the rot, but they all feign ignorance. Most of them thrive in chaotic situations and want to maintain the status quo,” Shumba said.
“It is good that the commission of inquiry is in place to receive all the evidence that it requires. The Harare Residents Trust hopes that investigators will take up the issues and prosecute all those implicated. These are necessary platforms in a democratic society.”
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Combined Harare Residents Association programmes manager, Reuben Akili, said the scandals at Harare City Council had been happening for a very long time.
“The issue of land barons has been an issue for a long time, the issues which has been impacting on service delivery as residents associations [we] have raised these issues over and over but, however, the commission of inquiry seems to have power because it was appointed by the President hence you now see people trying to address issues in local government,” he said.
The commission of inquiry has been conducting public hearings, at which multiple stakeholders have provided testimonies that point to deliberate and orchestrated pillaging of resources by senior officials at the city council and its subsidiary companies.
These testimonies have painted a picture of a city that has been looted from inside, with senior officials allegedly enriching themselves at the public’s expense.
Evidence presented to the commission indicates that city assets were being systematically stripped and sold off in dubious deals.
Eight Harare councillors are currently standing trial for corruptly allocating 24 industrial stands to themselves.
Council is accused of entering into questionable partnerships with private companies, often without following procurement procedures.
The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission in July arrested four Harare City Council officials for allegedly awarding a streetlights tender worth over US$9,2 million to Juluka Enndo Joint Venture, a company owned by businessman Moses Mpofu, without following procedure.
Testimonies suggest that funds meant for public services and infrastructural development were diverted into the pockets of corrupt officials.
This has led to a decline in critical services such as water supply, waste management and road maintenance, which have all but collapsed in recent years.
