Mayor warns officials

Acting Harare mayor George Mjajati has warned city officials that they will be held personally accountable for failing to deliver services after signing performance contracts aimed at improving operations at Town House.

The warning marks the latest attempt by city authorities to tighten accountability amid growing public anger over corruption, financial mismanagement and deteriorating service delivery in the capital.

Mjajati said officials who signed the contracts would be directly measured on performance and could face legal consequences for failure to meet their obligations.

"The way to sign the contract is for the mayor, it is not the councillor. It is you who signs the contract and it is you who is going to be measured, and it is you who is going to be arrested," he said.

Mjajati made the remarks during the signing ceremony for performance contracts involving several Harare City Council subsidiaries, including Rufaro Marketing, City Parking and Harare City Markets.

He said the contracts were intended to strengthen accountability and improve efficiency across council departments and business units.

"When you do your work well, the rest of council is doing its work well and you get the place," he said.

The mayor's remarks come as Harare City Council faces mounting scrutiny over widespread corruption scandals involving senior officials and former councillors.

A Commission of Inquiry chaired by retired Justice Maphios Cheda uncovered extensive financial mismanagement, illegal land allocations and weak financial controls within the local authority.

The commission, established by Emmerson Mnangagwa, found that more than 1 000 individuals had unauthorised access to the city's financial system.

Investigators also alleged that five council employees used fraudulent accounts to siphon hundreds of thousands of dollars from council coffers within days.

The inquiry further revealed that more than a dozen council subsidiaries were operating without proper financial oversight, with revenues largely unaccounted for and financial statements not being submitted.

Authorities estimate that the city lost more than US$250 million through corruption and financial leakages over the past five years.

Mjajati said Harare residents expected visible improvements in service delivery, including better roads, reliable refuse collection, functional street lighting and consistent water supplies.

"There are also critical revenue collection points for us. We know, for example, City Parking systems are performing well from what I have observed," he said.

"We want to make sure that our workers give the proper service that residents are paying for."

Acting town clerk Phakamile Mabhena Moyo said council was working to improve the city's financial sustainability by establishing strategic business units capable of generating revenue.

"To achieve sustainable growth and better self-reliance, we are establishing strategic business units to sell our products," he said.

Moyo added that departments and officials must embrace stronger performance standards to improve accountability and efficiency throughout the city administration.

"Our purpose is to stabilise communities, ensuring that specific units are directly accountable for their financial needs," he said.