Shameless councillors blow US$16m on workshops in eight months

IF you have ever wondered what happens when city fathers decide to conveniently ignore their job descriptions and fancy themselves as high-rolling vacationers, look no further than Harare’s Town House.

In a tragicomedy that would be hilarious if it were not so infuriating, Harare councillors have turned their jobs into a first-class ticket to endless indulgence, all at the expense of the city’s long-suffering ratepayers.

It appears the councillors have discovered a secret formula for success: hold as many out-of-town workshops as possible and reap the rewards in the form of hefty allowances.

This scheme has been so successful that the council has squandered a staggering ZiG230 million, about US$16 million, on workshops alone in just eight months.

The full scale of the councillors’ lavish spending spree came to light during the ongoing hearings of the Justice Mafios Cheda-led Commission of Inquiry, where City of Harare’s acting finance director Mr Godfrey Kusangaya could not help but spill the beans under sharp cross-examination from Harare lawyer Thabani Mpofu.

One particularly egregious example is the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) policy validation and compliance meeting, which was attended by a whopping 177 officials at the Kadoma Hotel and Conference Centre.

During the three-day junket, between June 6 and 8, the council blew through a staggering ZiG154,6 million — yes, you read that right, a jaw-dropping US$11 million for three days of blissful detachment from the city they are supposed to be fixing.

Just a week later, the councillors were back at the same hotel for a one-night risk-based audit plan event, costing a cool US$122 000.

Then there is the May 29 lunch at the now-abandoned Mayoral Mansion in Gunhill, where seven privileged souls feasted like kings on a modest US$2 300 tab. Yes, that is how much it costs to feed seven people when the ratepayers are picking up the bill.

The rampant looting saw allowances processed faster than the speed of light, while money for actual services was always mysteriously delayed.

But wait, it gets better.

Just last month, nearly 20 councillors from the human resources committee demanded 120 litres of fuel each for a working trip to Victoria Falls despite a bus being provided.

Yes, they could not resist burning through another 2 400 litres of fuel and pocketing generous allowances, all for a trip that served no purpose other than to satisfy their insatiable appetite for the good life.

In his testimony before the Commission of Inquiry, Mr Kusangaya admitted that between December last year and July this year, the city had splurged a mind-boggling ZiG230 million on these extravagant outings.

And when pressed for answers, he could only squirm uncomfortably, trying to explain away the endless parade of luxury workshops and retreats.

“We would hold workshops weekly and sometimes twice a week between December 2023 to July 2024,” he fired back, meekly.

“Sometimes I would tell my seniors that we need to scale down or confine to those which are critical.”

So, as Harare crumbles under the weight of neglect, and service delivery grinds to a halt, our esteemed councillors were busy living their best lives. These esteemed ladies and gentlemen literally turned public service into self-service.