STAFF WRITER
A SENIOR Harare City Council official has described the council as a “festival of illegalities” riddled with mismanagement and abuse of power.
This was revealed yesterday by Matthew Marara, the executive assistant to the town clerk, while appearing before retired Justice Maphios Cheda’s commission of enquiry that is conducting public hearings into the affairs of the council.
He told the commission that the councillors were acting like employees rather than board members while accusing mayor Jacob Mafume and the suspended town clerk, Hosiah Chisango, of being at odds with each other on most occasions.
“I joined the City of Harare in 2009 as a training and development manager and over the years, I have witnessed up to this day, this current council that we are having, that the model is not the ideal model to run the council.
“Our current council is overstepping its authority. As someone who has consistently upheld procedural guidelines, I’ve been targeted and faced attempts to remove me. The mayor and town clerk have clashed, with the mayor trying to assume the town clerk’s powers,” he said.
“This has created a toxic work environment, with councillors interfering in operational matters and issuing directives to junior staff. It’s a clear case of micromanaging and abuse of power.
“As I am saying this, I will say it without fear, but I know I am digging my own grave when I go back to council, but the truth must be known by the world, that this council seat of Harare is not running things correctly. They choose which directives to follow and which ones not to follow.
“Since I joined the council, the meeting frequencies have increased dramatically, with some committees meeting twice or thrice a week.
“This has led to decisions being made in the interests of a select few, rather than the community. Furthermore, committee chairs are often appointed based on political affiliation rather than merit, resulting in decisions being dictated by external influences,” Marara added.
Marara further told the commission that Mafume unprocedurally hired one Kashangure as a consultant despite the town clerk rejecting the appointment arguing that there was no documentation to support the contract.
“Kashangure, a strategist for the council, has been leading a transformation effort despite unclear appointment circumstances. He was neither hired through a tender process nor a council resolution, and there’s no documentation to support his role.
“Despite this, the mayor has been working closely with him, and he’s been calling meetings with council workers to shape the council’s strategic direction. Recently, the council passed a resolution to compensate him for his work, but the town clerk cannot process the payment due to the lack of documentation,” he said.
In 2020, Marara was arrested over fraud allegations related to the illegal sale of 150 housing stands in Kuwadzana before he was cleared by the courts.
“I was acquitted by the courts, yet the council never pursued a disciplinary hearing. As per standard procedure, a disciplinary hearing should be conducted when an employee is suspected of violating work rules.
“Since the council suspended me, they were obligated to follow labour laws and convene a hearing to resolve the matter, rather than leaving me in suspension indefinitely.”
“The mayor, who claims executive powers, set up the committee unilaterally. However, setting up such a committee falls outside the mayor’s mandate.
“That authority rests with the chief executive officer, the town clerk. Moreover, the committee’s negotiations involved financial implications, which further underscores the impropriety.”
Marara added the council owed him US$131 352 in outstanding salaries and allowances. He justified his substantial compensation stating that other officials had received similar amounts in the past, which he used as a benchmark. Meanwhile, Mafume is expected to appear before the commission on Thursday.
