adminBlessings Chidakwa Municipal Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) is set to rid Chitungwiza and Bulawayo councils of corrupt councillors and managers involved in land scams with arrests and prosecutions imminent.
ZACC spokesperson, Mr John Makamure said investigations on the two local authorities were almost complete.
Corruption in local authorities is reportedly rife in urban local authorities with officials fleecing ratepayers of their hard earned money. President Mnangagwa’s administration has taken a tough stance against corruption with a number of top officials in Harare, including mayor Herbert Gomba, having already been arrested and charged for various criminal misdemeanours.
In case of Chitungwiza, residents have complained about corruption and some have filed reports with ZACC and the Police Serious Fraud section under case numbers RRB 000106 (ZACC) and CR number 3/01/20 and CR number 303/4/14.
“We will continue with arrests. Some people at Harare City Council appeared in court and more culprits will be brought to book. This applies to other local authorities such as Bulawayo and Chitungwiza,” said Mr Makamure.
The Herald has in a series of reports been exposing the rot and penchant for luxury at the cash-strapped Chitungwiza Municipality, where an audit report revealed that undeserving managers would get two annual holiday trips to a regional destination of their choice at the expense of ratepayers.
The audit, covering the period between 2013 and October 2019, and instituted by council, further reveals that managers were entitled to a residential stand measuring thousands of square metres in a suburb of their choice in Harare, as well as a commercial and an industrial stand in Chitungwiza at half the price. Besides getting top notch vehicles, the bosses also had full school fees for at least six children of their relatives paid while they were enjoying the same benefits for their own minor dependants.
In clear disregard of good corporate governance principles, Chitungwiza has been operating without a payroll for years, with employees not receiving payslips.
Online Reporter