PARLIAMENT yesterday questioned Harare City Council (HCC) on why it was failing to rein in former Zanu PF Harare youth chairperson Jim Kunaka, who is reportedly pocketing thousands of dollars paid by bus operators at Mbare Musika.
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Harare mayor Bernard Manyenyeni told the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Local Government that the city was losing a lot of potential revenue through leakages in banking halls, in the parking business and at markets including Mbare where the managers were failing to put in place measures to curb the rot.
Council business committee chairperson Herbert Gomba pleaded with Parliament to help them stop the leakages.
“We need Parliament support to stop these leakages. We are supposed to get revenue, but we can’t because Jim Kunaka is in charge,” said Gomba.
Chairperson of the committee Irene Zindi, who appeared shocked, asked why the city was unable to deal with Kunaka or at least report him to the police.
Manyenyeni added that Kunaka’s name had featured prominently in several shenanigans at Mbare Musika.
Deputy mayor Thomas Muzuva recently told a full council meeting that Kunaka was pocketing more than $4 000 daily paid by buses at Mbare Musika.
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Gomba said council contracted a company to modernise Mbare Musika and to ensure technology was made available to enable City Park to collect revenue.
“When the contractor went to start work, Kunaka mobilised a group to demonstrate. We have made a resolution that he be disciplined because we have evidence that things are not going on well at the instigation of the said person,” said Gomba.
But Buhera South MP Joseph Chinotimba said the demonstrations might have been caused by the city engaging a foreign company to do certain jobs while locals were not getting such business opportunities.
Gomba however said council was being held to ransom by Kunaka, who was chasing people from a project that would also benefit him as a council employee.
He defended council for engaging foreign firms saying they brought with them new technology and expertise.
Kunaka was not immediately available to comment, but he recently told NewsDay that he would sue council officials for defaming him by alleging that he was pocketing money from the market.
