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Blessings Chidakwa
Municipal Reporter
Water is life! But that doesn’t seem to apply to Harare City Council fathers who have presided over the ruin of the former Sunshine City that used to have gushing fountains, but is now dry, apart from water leakages that go for days on end without being fixed.
Under the watch of successive MDC councils, the sun has set, as anthills of garbage become a common sight, while council officials line their pockets in primitive fashion.
Turning back the hands of time to 20 years ago, under the watch of Zanu PF, water used to flow in abundance, bubbling on picturesque fountains, a favourite for photographers.
Nostalgically, cameramen and women still mill in African Unity Square, but the total collapse of infrastructure means the place is not as attractive as it was two decades ago, because the opposition-led council is pursuing the unsavoury at the expense of service delivery.
Now Africa Unity Square seems abandoned, itself a reflection of the whole capital where ratepayers are making do without tap water, uncollected heaps of garbage, potholed roads and rivulets of sewage.
At the centre of all the decay is the massive corruption at Town House by MDC-A councillors working in cahoots with management.
While a bad mechanic always blames his tools, for Harare City Council the city fathers and managers have no one but themselves to blame.
Apparently, corruption runs deep in the MDC-Alliance’s veins as its hand-picked mayors Herbert Gomba and Jacob Mafume have both been suspended over a litany of corruption charges.
As of now, most of the MDC A councillors have been arrested on corruption related charges linked to land scams, leaving the city on autopilot.
The city has no town clerk (Hosiah Chisango), chamber secretary (Charles Kandemiri), directors of finance (Tendai Kwenda), housing and community services (Addmore Nhekairo), works (Zvenyika Chawatama), human capital development (Cainos Chingombe).
The only two directors available are Dr Prosper Chonzi and Engineer Mabhena-Moyo.
The levels of corruption among technocrats is appalling to the extent that even after the arrests of substantive directors, those who were appointed on an acting basis also fell prey to the feeding trough.
Town clerk Chisango
The absence of the arrowhead of the team, town clerk, probably explains all the mess that has been surrounding the operations at the city with workers going for months without salaries.
All the messy is a self-inflicted problem due to corruption related charges that led to Chisango’s arrest last year over allegations of working with Nhekairo in the illegal creation and allocation of stands on an open space in Kuwadzana 3 in July 2019 without going through the legal process of changing land use.
While on remand, Chisango was further arrested on allegations of criminal abuse of office or alternatively failing to prevent corruption after allegedly appointing a chief security officer, allegedly outside his mandate.
Chamber Secretary Kandemiri
The office mandated to give legal advice to both councillors and managers is also vacant after Kandemiri was arrested on allegations of parcelling out stands without following due procedure. Kandemiri is facing criminal abuse of duty charges.
It baffles the mind how corruption levels had reached unprecedented levels to the extent that a chamber secretary is involved in issues of parcelling of land that should be done by the housing department.
The absence of a chamber secretary explains all the confusion that has rocked the city which at some point was run on parallel structures, by two acting town clerks, two acting housing directors and two human capital development managers.
Finance director Kwenda
The office entrusted with the money of ratepayers is also vacant due to mismanagement of public funds which led to Kwenda being arrested.
He is alleged of having authorised the splashing of over US$8 million on allowances, holidays, buying personal vehicles and awarding hefty exit packages for managers between 2014 and 2015.
One of the top managers Stanely Mungofa was given a $1, 7 million retrenchment package in 2014.
After Kwenda’s arrest, Stanely Ndemera took over on acting basis but the story of corruption has not changed as he is reportedly on the run from the police and the Special Anti-Corruption Unit (SACU) on allegations of illegal land allocation and sales in the city.
Housing director Nhekairo
The office entrusted of properly managing the city land was also left in shambles after the director was arrested on a litany of allegations involving the illegal parcelling out of residential and commercial stands.
Among many allegations being levelled against Nhekairo are that of allocating residential stands in Westlea to undeserving people who include police officers and a prosecutor, who have since been arrested and charged.
Other allegations being levelled against Nhekairo are that of parcelling out stands on land reserved for recreational purposes.
The office has been marred with confusion as Fani Machipisa who replaced Nhekairo was arrested a few months into the position on land scam allegations.
Human capital director Chingombe
The office mandated to manage the human resources at Town House is also in messes as Chingombe stands accused of misappropriating US$130 000 earmarked for the provision of water, sanitation, education and recreational services.
He is also jointly charged with Kwenda on allegations of having awarded themselves allowances and retrenchment packages, a move deemed not in tandem with good corporate governance.
Mr Mathew Marara who also acted in the office during Chingombe’s suspension was also arrested on corruption allegations involving the illegal sale of 150 stands in Kuwadzana, with irregularities in the approval of plans and production of fraudulent layout plans prejudicing council of US$1 141 779.
Works director Chawatama
The office that is mandated among other duties of superintending over the management of the city roads is also vacant, probably explaining why the city roads are in a sorry state. Unkempt lawns and uncut grass are also a common feature across the city.
The management of funds from Zinara have also been questionable as the local authority last year managed to rehabilitate a paltry 1,1km of roads across the city against a set target of 120km.
Water director Mabhena-Moyo
The city has been having perennial water challenges over the years. Many explanations have been given to end the water woes, but still most taps remain dry. Suburbs that are lucky to have water on their taps hardly get it 24 hours, at most thrice a week.
At the centre of all this is clear ineptitude by the council after US$144 million Morton Jaffray money ended up lining the pockets of managers. After half of the money was disbursed the council spent US$28 million of the US$37 administrative costs where managers bought top notch vehicles.
The water director Moyo who is currently the acting town clerk also stands accused of criminal abuse of office charges amid allegations of giving a 23-year-old lease to an individual last year at a charge of $3 000.
Health director Dr Chonzi
Dr Chonzi hogged the limelight recently after turning down an offer to become acting town clerk saying the health department was heavily committed to fighting Covid-19 and he felt not qualified outside his public health profession to solve city problems.
A recent Government commissioned audit at the council unearthed that the city was prejudiced US$506 250 and implicates Dr Chonzi of also benefiting from a monthly increment of US$10 200.
Ceteris paribus, dirty buildings, unkempt lawns, uncut grass, corruption and lawlessness have become the order of the day in town, in a brazen failure to adhere to city by-laws.
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