CITY DIRECTOR CLAIMS HE WAS POISONED TWICE AT TOWN HOUSE

Tafara Chibanda

HARARE City Council’s Acting Human Capital Director, Bozman Matengarufu, has claimed he was poisoned TWICE at his workplace.

He appeared before the Commission of inquiry investigating irregularities within the Council.

Matengarufu claimed he was poisoned TWICE and this created a toxic work environment and had a huge impact on his performance as a director.

“I can do 80 percent, 90 percent, but not 100 percent because of that,” he said.

Matengarufu described himself as a high-flying executive in his previous roles in the private sector but admitted to losing motivation because of the endless boardroom drama at Town House.

“After being removed from office, I was no longer interested in anything. At one point, I even thought of resigning,” he said.

Leading evidence, lawyer Thabani Mpofu pointed to Matengarufu’s lack of awareness of events at Town House, including being unaware of a car allocated to the Executive Assistant to the Town Clerk, as the dereliction of duty.

“Yes, you may call it that, but you must bear in mind the frustrations I had after being removed from office,” said Matengarufu.

Retired Justice Maphios Cheda challenged this explanation, asking whether Matengarufu was using the poisoning allegations as an excuse to escape accountability.

“Your frustrations are no excuse for incompetence, you were called upon to account for Council property as the Head of Capital Administration and you want to tell this Commission that you are unaware of the motor vehicle allocated to the executive assistant?”

Matengarufu replied:

“I am not incompetent. My CV explains everything. I was a high-flyer wherever I worked before.”

However, Mpofu argued that a strong CV alone does not relate to effective performance.

“You can have an excellent CV but from what we are seeing, you are not performing your duty competently,” he said.

Mpofu accused Matengarufu of recklessness and dereliction of duty.

“You don’t even know what the Executive Assistant of the Town Clerk drives yet you are the Acting Human Capital Director.

“Is that not the height of incompetence?” said Mpofu.