A GROUP of politically-connected individuals last week disrupted ongoing refurbishment work at the Mbare Musika market in the capital and harrased City of Harare engineers on site.
This was revealed by Harare mayor Jacob Mafume when he appeared before the Justice Maphios Cheda-led commission of inquiry appointed by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in May last year to investigate cases of corruption and mismanagement.
Mafume said the local authority was struggling to take control of its business units that were hijacked by politically-connected persons.
He cited the case of Rufaro Marketing where its board members were beaten up for demanding rentals as well as reforming the business unit.
“When we were trying to reform Rufaro Marketing, it had been occupied by violent individuals that were threatening to beat up the board members, and they, indeed, did beat up the company secretary that had been employed, who is a lawyer and he resigned after being beaten up,” he added.
“When they asked for rentals from the occupiers of the property instead of bringing rentals they came and beat up this young lawyer and then he promptly resigned and the other board members had to run away.
“Even the new market that we are putting in, the engineers that were doing measurements of the ground to say this is the market we are going to give the people of Mbare, were beaten last week and their measurement tools were broken.”
City council businesses include City Parking, Harare Quarry, Rufaro Marketing, Mabvazuva and Sunshine Meats and Development.
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The business units have been dogged by allegations of corruption dating back to 2013 and were recently disbanded after failing to declare dividends.
Some of the business units were hijacked by Zanu PF-linked persons.
Mafume was asked to reveal what took place in a meeting between Tsitsi Samuronda, a council business manager and persons running Rufaro Marketing.
“Tempers flared during the meeting," Mafume said.
“Immediately when I became mayor, I set up a commission to look into the affairs of Rufaro Marketing. We are implementing the recommendations of that commission."
He said some properties that belonged to the City of Harare disappeared from the council database.
"There are properties that are supposed to be managed by the City of Harare that are disappearing and that are not being managed well."
