Council splashes cash on hired cars

Brian Chitemba
Investigations Editor
HARARE City Council has spent about US$100 000 on renting cars even as it sits on a five-month salary backlog.
At the centre of the storm is finance director Mr Justin Mandizha — an uncle of mayor Councillor Bernard Manyenyeni — whom councillors accuse of unilaterally suspending a January tender to buy 20 vehicles.
The 20 cars were for the revenue collection department.
Documents seen by The Sunday Mail show that council could have bought five vehicles already at a cost of US$19 000 each instead of spending about US$100 00 on renting cars.
The figure will rise given that the council is still leasing the vehicles at US$70 each per day.
A councillor who preferred not to be named said, “Why is council hiring cars instead of buying? If a brand new vehicle cost US$19 000, why then spend US$51 000 per month on cars that will be returned to the owner while council remains poorer? Who is benefiting in this deal?”
“This is a clear case of misplaced priorities and a waste of ratepayers’ money. Mr Mandizha is supposed to oversee the good use of council money but it seems he is sleeping on duty. That explains why he is still on probation for six months.”
Cllr Manyenyeni declined to respond to our questions, referring The Sunday Mail to acting town clerk Mrs Josephine Ncube, who in turn directed this publication to council spokesman Mr Michael Chideme. Mr Chideme could not immediately respond.
It is unclear if the council went to tender before hiring the vehicles.
The scandal has riled employees, with Harare Municipal Workers Union leader Mr Cosmas Bungu questioning the deal and also querying why the council was failing to pay workers’ salaries when it collected about US$15 million monthly.
Mr Bungu appealed to President Mugabe and Local Government Minister Saviour Kasukuwere to intervene and clean up the mess in the municipality.
“MDC-T, which is a labour party has its representatives running council affairs failing to pay workers yet the revenue collection offices are cashing in everyday . . . Where is the money going? Are these guys playing politics?”