dyton mupawaenda
Herald Reporter
Harare Mayor Councillor Jacob Mafume has publicly rebuked council’s top executives for failing to renovate district offices, citing the irony that these officials own large homes in leafy suburbs that dwarfed the offices they have neglected.
This comes amid reports that the town clerk is allegedly earning over US$30 000 per month, while the least-paid executive takes home a hefty US$15 000 monthly salary.
Despite this, the city’s top executives have kept a “surprisingly low-profile”, driving pre-owned vehicles only when they are coming to work and using worn-out office furniture, apparently to conceal their high earnings.
Speaking at the launch of a revenue blitz recently, Clr Mafume pointed out the striking contradiction between the city’s struggling district offices and the lavish homes of its top executives.
“Our district offices are smaller than private residents of our managers and directors present here. Some wanted to see my house, but I can tell you mine is very small. We have people here who have bigger houses that dwarf district offices and if we are to say let’s go and see their houses, we might get surprised so let’s renovate our district offices before we call for an inspection in loco for your houses.”
He said residents will be shocked if a similar on-site inspection was carried out for top council managers and directors’ private residences.
“We can start with an on-site inspection of the town clerk’s house, followed by the finance director’s, and so on, until we reach the final director. Since you have already seen mine.”
Clr Mafume directed the formation of a technical committee to expedite the renovation of district offices.
Most Harare City Council district offices are in a dilapidated state, frequently plagued by power outages.
Due to the lack of functional systems, cashiers have reportedly resorted to storing financial records on flash drives, while top officials earn hefty salaries.
The Cleveland Building, home to the Department of Works, is also in a state of disrepair, characterised by broken furniture, non-functional toilets and peeling paint.
This also comes at a time when the suspended Harare town clerk, who reportedly has over four wives, has allegedly built houses for each of them, including a mansion for his fourth wife in Mt Pleasant.
Executive assistant to the town clerk, Matthew Marara revealed to the Harare Commission of Inquiry set up to investigate council mismanagement that he owns three houses in affluent suburbs, including Gunhill, Mabelreign and Bulawayo.
Additionally, Harare City Council’s principal housing officer, Mr Edgar Dzehonye, reportedly owns a house in Glen Lorne, another upscale suburb in Harare.
Despite the dilapidated state of council facilities, Harare City executives allegedly splurged US$1 million in 2023 on Toyota Fortuners.
The purchase, led by suspended town clerk Hosiah Chisango, was reportedly funded by remittances from Harare City Park, a city subsidiary.
This comes amid revelations that the top brass mutually agreed to keep a low-profile by not driving their luxury Toyota Fortuner GD6 vehicles to work.
Online Reporter