COUNCIL FAILS TO ACCOUNT FOR EMPLOYEES ON PAYROLL

Tafara Chibanda and Talent Gore

HARARE City Council’s Human Resources Committee chairperson, Councillor George Mujajati on Tuesday failed to account for the number of employees that work for the local authority

This comes at a time when the city council is riddled with allegations of corruption and gross incompetence.

Appearing before the Commission of Inquiry Mujajati could not account for the number of employees on the city council’s payroll.

“It is around plus or minus 10,000 employees because I only joined as the HR committee chairperson recently.

“So, I am not really sure.

“I am going to delegate so that I get the full details, this is the oversight on my part and I must correct as the chairperson and Councillor,” he said.

The Chairperson of the commission, Retired High Court Judge, Justice Maphios Cheda warned Mujajati against being evasive.

“Anyone who lies before the Commission of Inquiry shall be liable to an offence and this is the situation in which you are because since you came here you have been trying to lie and be evasive. So please make up your mind,” he warned.

The inquest has so far unearthed a web of alleged local authority’s corruption activities within the Harare City Council, including squandering of millions of United States dollars in unsanctioned workshops and illegal parcelling out of thousands of hectares of land.

Earlier on, Harare City Council Housing Development Officer, Edgar Dzehonye admitted deterioration of governance issues with regards to the allocation of stands has reached alarming levels, with illegal parcelling out of land being the order of the day.