AT Harare City Council, innovation is alive and well.

Who else can perfect the fine art of paying someone handsomely to stay at home for 17 months? Well, suspended Town Clerk Engineer Hosiah Chisango will this week celebrate — perhaps with a silent toast from his couch — 17 months of uninterrupted salary and
executive perks without setting foot at Town House.

In a city where service delivery has become an afterthought, at least one thing has moved consistently: the payroll.

According to testimony by Mayor Jacob Mafume before the Justice Maphios Cheda-led Commission of Inquiry, Eng Chisango was earning an eye-watering US$27 000 a month, ballooning to roughly US$30 000 once executive benefits were factored in.

Even after a 20 percent salary “diet” for executives in October 2025, the figure is believed to have remained north of US$20 000 per month.

Let us do the mathematics.

During the first 12 months of his suspension, Eng Chisango is reported to have received more than US$360 000 in salary and benefits. In the five months that followed — even after the much-publicised 20 percent executive pay cut — he is believed to have earned roughly another US$120 000.

This brings the estimated total payout over the 17-month period to more than US$400 000. In other words, over US$400 000 has been spent on a Town Clerk who has not been reporting for duty — an amount that could have gone a long way towards addressing some of the service delivery challenges confronting residents.

Eng Chisango was suspended on September 20, 2024 over a litany of allegations: a US$9,2 million streetlights scandal, failure to implement the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, allegedly extending his contract beyond its July 2023 expiry and awarding tenders to blacklisted companies.

He was arrested.

Headlines were written.

Eyebrows were raised.

Then in February 2025, the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe withdrew the charges. The plot thickened.

After the court outcome, he reportedly attempted to return to work, only to allegedly find the doors less welcoming.

Two months later, Mayor Mafume announced the city’s intention to part ways with the long-serving bureaucrat after 34 years of service.

Negotiations for an amicable separation package — most probably a golden parachute — began.

And there the matter has remained — marinating.

Nearly a year later, the deed of settlement is still being “reviewed by lawyers”, according to city spokesperson Stanley Gama.

Under the Urban Councils Act and labour laws, suspended officials are entitled to full pay and benefits until matters are concluded.

Fair enough.

The law must be respected.

But here is the twist: Who is responsible for concluding the matter?

While negotiations crawl at municipal speed, residents battle erratic water supplies, potholed roads and rising bills.

The same residents now learn that more than US$400 000 has gone towards funding the world’s most expensive staycation.

One cannot help but admire the efficiency — not in service delivery, but in ensuring that executive comforts remain uninterrupted.

In a city struggling to balance its books, Town House has demonstrated that when it comes to administrative stalemates, no expense will be spared.

Congratulations, City fathers for turning a suspension into a premium subscription plan proudly paid for by Harare’s long-suffering ratepayers.