adminInnocent Ruwende Municipal Reporter
Grant Thornton Camelsa, who were last month appointed to conduct a comprehensive audit of Harare City Council’s books, have missed two deadlines and are yet to give any meaningful feedback to municipal officials. Stakeholders had already questioned why the firm was appointed when it was the city’s traditional auditor and the task at hand required a company without prior links to Harare. The stakeholders said the move was tantamount to tasking Camelsa to audit itself because it was going through books that it had prepared.
Harare appointed Camelsa to sift through its finances following reports of misappropriation of millions of United States dollars. When Camelsa was appointed, Harare mayor Councillor Bernard Manyenyeni said they would give initial feedback within two weeks.
But the firm has missed both the two week feedback deadline and the 21-day deadline given by councillors.
Mayor Manyenyeni yesterday said, “The audit is proceeding. It is slower than we expected.”
He defended the decision to appoint Camelsa, saying councillors still believed in the firm’s independence.
The auditors are to audit city executives’ salaries and benefits as well as sales of commercial and residential stands to managers.
The investigations follow reports that the city’s 18 directors were gobbling over US$500 000 in salaries monthly even as service delivery deteriorated.
There were also allegations that directors bought industrial and commercial stands, whose official prices ranged from US$20 to US$30 per square metre, for as little as US$3 per square metre.
In addition, council could have lost up to US$100 million through inflating prices of equipment in a US$144,4 million loan agreement with a Chinese firm for refurbishment of water infrastructure.
Council’s audit committee on February 26, 2014 resolved that former city treasurer Mr Misheck Mubvumbi submit a consolidated asset register.
The committee further recommended that the forensic audit cover 2009 to 2014 and that it investigate fuel allocation and consumption.
It should also investigate procurement at Harare Water, repairs and servicing of refuse removal trucks, vehicle parts cannibalism at the municipal automotive workshop, and hire of plant and equipment for the department of engineering services.
Online Reporter