News / National
Harare's special unit to tackle past corruption
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The Harare City Council (HCC) has set up a dedicated Special Legacy Department to investigate historical corruption, implement corrective measures, and begin rebuilding public confidence after years of financial mismanagement and administrative dysfunction.
The move follows damning findings by the Auditor-General, which revealed the presence of ghost workers, unaccounted-for millions of dollars, and severely weakened service delivery systems.
Mayor Jacob Mafume said the new unit will focus on auditing misgovernance by former council officials, including cases of unapproved salaries, dubious contracts, and non-compliance with directives from the Local Government ministry.
"We are creating a special department to deal with legacy issues that have to do with misgovernance and corruption by the previous council and management," Mafume said.
"The special legacy department team will come up with resolutions which will be handed over to our parent ministry, the Local Government ministry, which will come up with the final say."
The initiative is being spearheaded by Acting Town Clerk Engineer Mabhena Moyo and Finance Director Godfrey Kusangaya.
The Auditor-General's report exposed widespread financial irregularities, including stalled infrastructure projects, unapproved salary increments, misallocated funds in dormant accounts, and procurement breaches. The report also highlighted the presence of hundreds of ghost workers on the payroll.
In response, HCC has introduced a biometric verification system, eliminating the ghost workers and saving millions in monthly wage costs. Audits of dormant accounts have been completed, while several contracts deemed financially harmful to council have been renegotiated or cancelled.
An insider likened the recovery efforts to "patching a sinking ship," noting that while progress is being made, the council still faces significant challenges.
Regular internal audits are now being conducted, bank reconciliations have been brought up to date for the first time in years, and service hotlines have been reactivated. Residents have reported gradual improvements in water supply and billing systems.
However, the reform process has faced internal resistance, with attempts to discredit senior officials and undermine the clean-up efforts.
Residents' associations have cautiously welcomed the reforms but remain wary of their sustainability.
"We are seeing movement, but after years of neglect, we need consistent delivery," said Tawanda Zimunya, a Harare resident.
Harare's leadership acknowledges that the city is still far from declaring victory over its long-standing governance and service delivery issues but insists that the reforms underway will form the foundation for lasting institutional recovery.
The move follows damning findings by the Auditor-General, which revealed the presence of ghost workers, unaccounted-for millions of dollars, and severely weakened service delivery systems.
Mayor Jacob Mafume said the new unit will focus on auditing misgovernance by former council officials, including cases of unapproved salaries, dubious contracts, and non-compliance with directives from the Local Government ministry.
"We are creating a special department to deal with legacy issues that have to do with misgovernance and corruption by the previous council and management," Mafume said.
"The special legacy department team will come up with resolutions which will be handed over to our parent ministry, the Local Government ministry, which will come up with the final say."
The initiative is being spearheaded by Acting Town Clerk Engineer Mabhena Moyo and Finance Director Godfrey Kusangaya.
The Auditor-General's report exposed widespread financial irregularities, including stalled infrastructure projects, unapproved salary increments, misallocated funds in dormant accounts, and procurement breaches. The report also highlighted the presence of hundreds of ghost workers on the payroll.
In response, HCC has introduced a biometric verification system, eliminating the ghost workers and saving millions in monthly wage costs. Audits of dormant accounts have been completed, while several contracts deemed financially harmful to council have been renegotiated or cancelled.
An insider likened the recovery efforts to "patching a sinking ship," noting that while progress is being made, the council still faces significant challenges.
Regular internal audits are now being conducted, bank reconciliations have been brought up to date for the first time in years, and service hotlines have been reactivated. Residents have reported gradual improvements in water supply and billing systems.
However, the reform process has faced internal resistance, with attempts to discredit senior officials and undermine the clean-up efforts.
Residents' associations have cautiously welcomed the reforms but remain wary of their sustainability.
"We are seeing movement, but after years of neglect, we need consistent delivery," said Tawanda Zimunya, a Harare resident.
Harare's leadership acknowledges that the city is still far from declaring victory over its long-standing governance and service delivery issues but insists that the reforms underway will form the foundation for lasting institutional recovery.
Source - Newsday
