HARARE – The Harare Residents Trust (HRT) has accused the City of Harare of embarking on targeted staff transfers to try and stifle investigations into possible corrupt dealings opened by a Presidential Commission of Inquiry.

The HRT claims in a report that City of Harare councillors and officials implicated in land and other graft are moving critical personnel to try and throw spanners in the wake of the probe.

“Key personnel in the Legal and Housing and Community Services Department are set to be removed from their functions to pave way for the appointment of officials implicated in land and housing allocation corruption, and have pending criminal court proceedings.

“According to well-informed sources, Edgar Dzehonye, a Housing and Community Services mastermind of alleged land deals, and the key witness in the land corruption case against Mayor Jacob Mafume, is set to replace Funny Machipisa, the Human Settlements Manager.

“Councillors in the Human Resources and General Purposes Committee led by their Chairperson George Mujajati are working closely with Retired Major Matthew Marara, the Acting Human Capital Director, who is himself implicated in land corruption to remove officials who know more about the corrupt tender, land allocations and other legal contracts which the Commission of Inquiry is specifically investigating,” the report says.

The report also suggests that councillors are targeting Machipisa for refusing to allocate them residential stands outside their designated wards, in violation of a 2020 Ministry of Local Government and Public Works directive.

According to the HRT, “Edgar Dzehonye is said to be the owner of a land selling company that allegedly hoards residential and business stands, which are allegedly sold through ward councillors and they share the proceeds.

“Under the scheme, Dzehonye’s company allegedly takes control of vast tracts of council land, and those who would have identified the land are allocated a few stands while the said company takes possession of the bulk of stands on behalf of city of Harare corrupt councillors and officials.

“One senior official in the Chamber Secretary’s Department, the legal advisor to the City of Harare, only identified as lawyer Mushava, is also set to be immediately transferred and another official will be appointed in his place to be the one dealing with the Commission of Inquiry,” read the HRT report.

The HRT report suggests that since the probe’s launch, jittery councillors and officials have held numerous meetings, workshops, and formed their committees to ostensibly prempt matters related to the Commission’s mandate.

The report accuses some authorities within the city’s power corridors of attempting to destroy crucial documents concerning their decisions under the guise of official duties, while enriching themselves through these clandestine activities.

The HRT report alleges that multiple meetings held in Mutare and Kadoma aimed to undermine the Commission by making strategic decisions disadvantageous to ratepayers but beneficial to corrupt council insiders.

In the report, HRT pleaded with the Commission of Inquiry to halt all staff transfers until the completion of its investigation into the City of Harare’s financial management and operations.

The report further implicates Marara, who allegedly created the non-existent position of Executive Assistant, Grade 2, effectively making himself the Deputy Town Clerk.

“At the heart of all the chaos rocking the City of Harare is the role being played by Matthew Marara, who recently created the position of Executive Assistant, Grade 2, using the guise of a job evaluation, making himself the Deputy Town Clerk, a non-existent position in the whole structure of local authorities in Zimbabwe.

“By holding this newly-created position and at the same time acting as the Human Capital Director, Marara has become the defacto Town Clerk, acting with impunity, but propelled by very corrupt councillors who are immensely benefitting from what he is offering them in terms of accepting their demands while they in turn make his agenda pass the council committee processes.

“Marara was the substantive Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, in Grade Four, the current position now occupied by Dorothy Mavolwane.

“This means that for Marara to be Acting Human Capital Director, he had to be a substantive director heading another council department, but he has none.

“The implications are that corruption, driven by officials representing other interests and councillors, has taken deep roots at Town House,” further reads the report.

HRT further urges the Commission to intervene and stop the underhand dealings at Harare City Council, allegedly masterminded by the Acting Human Capital Director in cahoots with avaricious councillors prioritising personal gain over the interests of Harare residents.

Harare City spokesperson Stanley Gama refuted the claims, asserting that the transfers were not related to the Commission’s investigation and that the local authority was cooperating fully.

“The installation of a Commission of Enquiry did not cease the operations of council.

“⁠The Commission (of Enquiry) terms of reference are in black and white and none of the recently transferred employees has a direct role in that matter.

“⁠City of Harare has welcomed the Commission of Enquiry and is cooperating with it,” said Gama.

He added, “⁠With reference to the two employees, Mushava and Machipisa, the City recognises their experience and qualifications and has deployed them to the school to capacitate council workers to deliver the call to action.

“⁠The position of Executive Assistant to Town Clerk was created by council in 2019 and filled by the incumbent at inception.

“⁠Council does not condone indiscipline and if there is any employee implicated in land scandals, let’s let the law take its course than to speculate.”