daniel chigunwe
Tafara Chibanda
THE Harare City Council rejected a locally developed Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system from the Harare Institute of Technology (HIT) in favour of a US$2,1 million foreign solution and this has raised some eyebrows.
The ERP system, developed by HIT, was meant to address critical operational inefficiencies within the City Council, including revenue collection and resource management.
However, the Council opted for a system designed by a foreign company, costing over six times more than HIT’s solution. Herbert Njonga, a Registrar at HIT, and Engineer Tererai Tinashe Maposa, a director and developer at the institute, appeared before a Commission of Inquiry into the City of Harare yesterday.
In their testimony, they cited a series of systemic issues that have plagued the City of Harare’s operations in the absence of an efficient ERP system.
The City Council’s revenue collection system, described as “porous and inefficient,” has resulted in significant financial losses and hampered service delivery.
Despite recommendations from the Ministry of Local Government to implement an ERP system to improve accountability and control, Harare City Council has struggled to find a suitable solution.
The Council’s decision to discontinue the BIQ ERP system from Quill Associates of South Africa in 2019 and replace it with the Sage Pastel system, has been widely criticised for failing to meet the city’s needs.
Njonga argued that the failure to properly assess the Council’s requirements during the procurement process led to the implementation of an unsuitable system.
“Council did not carry out the necessary user requirements process and user acceptance testing.
“The result was a system that was not capable of handling the volume of transactions the city processes,” said Njonga.
He said, the Sage Pastel system, which was supposed to streamline operations, cost the Council nearly ten times more than the previous licence fees, amounting to US$300 000 per annum.
Despite the significant investment, the system failed to deliver any meaningful utility, leading to its eventual abandonment.
This left the City Council without a functional ERP system, further exacerbating its operational inefficiencies.
Eng Maposa said the lack of a consolidated ERP system has left the Council vulnerable to resource manipulation and financial mismanagement.
“Where there are no robust control and accountability systems, there is room for abuse.
“The same system that was rejected locally has received international recognition, having won an intercontinental award and has been invited to Rwanda and the Commonwealth for its innovative design.
“This is a missed opportunity to empower local talent and support Zimbabwe’s technological development,” said Eng Maposa.
Online Reporter