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Corruption and nepotism have rocked Harare City Council’s ongoing process to recruit 290 new municipal police and security officers, with journalists noting an unmarked Toyota Wish whisking some who failed the 5km road run into the City Sports Centre to join the successful candidates.
Among allegations that seem to have solid facts behind them are reports that some applicants paid between US$100 and US$500 to corrupt council officials and even the lists of words for the spelling test was widely circulated.
Close to 4 000 people applied for the jobs, creating an opportunity for the corrupt to make money since only 290 were to be hired, just 7,25 percent.
The list of 20 spellings that constituted another phase of the selection process leaked and was all over social media before the test. But others had already paid money to some council officials to be furnished with the list of words ahead of the written spellings test.
Lucky relatives of council officers did not have to pay cash or search social media: they were just given the list so they could pass the test.
In the fitness run, applicants had to run from the City Sports Centre and turn right into Rekayi Tangwena Avenue moving north to Samora Machel Avenue where they turned left and ran to Bishop Gaul Avenue where they turned left again and ran back to the City Sports Centre.
If they made it within the stipulated 22 minutes, they were found to be fit and were allowed into the yard while those who failed the test were shut out.
In a disturbing development, The Herald witnessed a white Toyota Wish smuggling into the City Sports Centre one man and two women who had been shut out after failing the road run test.
The vehicle had no number plates and it was allowed into the City Sports Centre while ferrying the trio.
Harare City Council spokesperson Mr Michael Chideme confirmed receiving such reports from the public. However, Mr Chideme could not comment much on the allegations saying he was waiting for a full report from those conducting the interviews.
“We are also hearing the same. I can confirm that we have also heard such complaints but we wait until the team tasked to conduct the interviews is done.
“The team will submit its report to the acting human resources director. We will give a full and comprehensive response to the allegations after the team managing the recruitment is done,” said Mr Chideme.
As part of its investigations, The Herald accessed a list of spellings that was leaked on social media platforms before the interviews. Word reached the human resources bosses that the list was now in the public domain and the pass rate was unbelievably high, with most getting all 20 words right and even the bad spellers hitting 80 percent.
The list that leaked had the following 20 words: Embezzlement, perjury, absenteeism, supersede, lieutenant, anonymous, counterfeit, statutes, phenomenon, conscience, subpoena, modus operandi, superintendent, pronunciation, liaison, curator, occurrence, armoury, manoeuvre and bureaucracy.
This was being fixed thought. A team headed by the human resources manager Mr Kaponda and a Mrs Mukombedzi rushed to the interview venue with a new set of words. When they arrived a number of candidates had already been tested and they were asked to start afresh with another list of words.
An advertisement for the vacancies specified that the applicant must be 18 to 35 years of age, have five O Level passes and be physically fit.
There was an overwhelming response of almost 4 000 applicants and the process started with the verification of certificates and age vetting.
About 1 000 candidates failed and the successful ones were invited for the written spellings’ test.
After the spellings test, the successful candidates were short-listed for the oral test, which became the final stage.
Last week, a male officer in the human resources department (name withheld) was reportedly collecting bribes of between US$100 and US$500 from those who wanted an automatic pass in the final phase of the selection process. Corruption and nepotism is not new to Harare City Council’s municipal police recruitment.
Harare City Council in February 2019 was caught in a nepotism storm when councillors and top management were reportedly seconding their relatives for jobs in various departments, leaving a trail of similar names in the municipality’s employment books.
A good number of the top managers, councillors and other opposition politicians share surnames with at least two recruits while in some cases up to eight recruits shared the same surname.
The recruitment sparked outrage with some breathing fire over the involvement of councillors in the recruitment process.
According to a document by concerned stakeholders titled, “City of Harare Report on Current State of Affairs, January 2018 to June 2019”, councillors were heavily involved in the recruitment.
Two employees who share the same surname with former Harare Mayor Mr Herbert Gomba — Tecla and Thomas — were recruited as municipal police officers.
Four others — Blessing, James, Tinashe and Rosemary — share the same surname with council’s former human capital director, Major Maxwell Marara. The quartet was employed in the municipal police section.
Although the link of the Jena family in council was not immediately established, people sharing that name were recruited at once with three in the fire section, three in the parking section and two in the municipal police section.
Councillor Wellington Chikombo of Ward 28 shares the surname with four recruits: mon, Evans, Kilven and Sternford.
Two were recruited as parking supervisors while two were employed as patrol officers. Four municipal officers from the Taruvinga family — Laureta, Clever, Costain and Victoria — were also recruited early this year.
The Muzuva family was represented by Julia and Denver, who were employed as patrol officers and firefighter.
The Mukunguma, Mandere and Nyatsuro families had two representatives each on the list of the new recruits.
Five of the recruits who share the Moyo surname — Farai, Conrad, Golden, Mduduzi and Sinothando — were recruited in the fire and municipal police sections, although admittedly this surname is so common that at least some of the five might well bear no relationship with the Moyo in the council service.
Online Reporter