Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume has accused senior city council executives of misappropriating over US$1 million to purchase luxury vehicles in a scheme he described as lacking transparency and accountability.
Mafume made the allegations on Tuesday as he concluded his testimony before the Commission of Inquiry investigating the operations of the Harare City Council (HCC).
According to the mayor, the alleged fraud took place in 2023 under the leadership of then-Town Clerk Hosiah Chisango. He claimed that funds remitted from Harare City Parking—a subsidiary of the HCC—were used to purchase Toyota Fortuner SUVs for top officials without council approval.
“That is one of the biggest challenges because last year City Parking brought about a million to the City Council. When we started asking where that US$1 million went, that is where the problem began,” Mafume told the commission, led by retired Justice Maphios Cheda.
The vehicles were reportedly acquired when the city council had been dissolved ahead of the 2023 elections, further raising concerns over financial accountability.
Mafume said City Parking had initially been tasked with enforcing parking regulations, but just before the elections, the council expanded its mandate to include another by-law, which significantly increased revenue.
“The revenue-sharing agreement was that they collect and we get 50 percent. That year, it raised US$2 million, and US$1 million was remitted to the City Council,” Mafume said.
“When we returned after the elections, we asked what happened to the money because it had been earmarked for improving parking infrastructure. We were told it had already been spent. What it was used for, how it was spent—then we learned that executives had bought vehicles during that period.”
The inquiry also revealed extravagant spending by senior council executives, with evidence leader Thabani Mpofu disclosing that officials spend US$125,000 annually on international and regional holidays.
The Town Clerk is reportedly entitled to one international trip per year, while other executives receive fully funded regional trips, all paid for using ratepayers’ money.
Mafume, visibly taken aback by the figures, distanced himself from the expenditures.
“I cannot dispute those figures, but they do not come through me. I have no access to that information. I am actually shocked because this comes at a time when we are being asked to tighten our belts, yet others are loosening theirs,” he said.
The scandal has raised fresh concerns over financial mismanagement at Harare’s Town House, with critics blaming the lack of a functional Electronic Resource Planning (ERP) system for the chaos.
The Commission of Inquiry has since completed its public hearings and is expected to compile a report with recommendations, which will be submitted to President Emmerson Mnangagwa. – NewZimbabwe.com
