THE outpour of anger prevailing in Harare in the last few days has left many questions, but the answers remain elusive.
Moses Matenga
Residents and ratepayers, and councillors are united in their anger, seeking answers on why the Harare City Council (HCC) management went behind the City Fathers’ backs to purchase top-of-the-range vehicles purportedly for the multi-million dollar project to refurbish the worn-out Morton Jaffray Waterworks using part of the $144,4 million loan sourced from a Chinese bank.
One of the burning issues is all hands were pointing at town clerk Tendai Mahachi yet no action was being taken against him. The question is: What makes the city boss omnipotent? Who blows the wind beneath his wings? Mahachi has been embroiled in even worse scandals before at Town House, but his invincibility and untouchable character leaves a lot to be desired.
Even efforts to probe him by Harare mayor Bernard Manyenyeni have been thwarted and now it remains to be seen who will stop the powers-that-be from effectively banning the probe into the rot at Town House. According to the reports, council recently acquired a Range Rover Vogue for Mahachi; and Land Rover Discovery luxury vehicles, Ford Rangers, Isuzu and Toyota vehicles for other top directors and senior managers.
A councillor who refused to be named said: “We demanded for documentation in the last full council meeting. It’s a loan and in the event that they want to make approval for anything, they approach the Finance committee but they didn’t, instead, we know they went to (Local Government minister Ignatius) Chombo. We have a number of instances where we only hear of some developments from the grapevine yet we are supposed to play an integral part in all decisions to be made.”
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The reasons for Mahachi to sideline the councillors in this mega deal were still unknown and whatever the reasons at play it further fuelled speculation that the vehicle purchases were clandestine in nature. Whoever may have approved the deal without following the Urban Councils Act, which makes Mahachi and his top managers answerable to the City Fathers could be equally culpable.
Harare residents have reacted angrily to the disclosures, demanding the arrest of Mahachi and the entire council management saying this was corruption of the highest order which could not be tolerated.
Regrettably up until this day, the use of the $144,4 million loan facility signed by Mahachi and ex-Mayor Muchadeyi Masunda has been kept a closely guarded secret to the new councillors amid reports of overpricing of services and goods bought for the project.
The loan was meant for the import of machinery and equipment to refurbish water and sewage treatment plans. Most of the suburbs have been running dry for close to a month while acute water shortages have hit the country’s two major referral hospitals, Parirenyatwa and Harare Hospitals, crippling operations.
This has resulted in unnecessary loss of lives as important hospital sections such as X-rays, maternity wards, theatres and renal wards have suspended operations citing unavailability of water.
Bring to book corrupt officials — Masunda
Masunda is, however, not amused with the manner the deal was being handled.
“I have been following, with grave concern, the scandalous allegations in connection with the disbursement of the $144,4 million loan which the City of Harare procured from the Chinese Export and Import Bank for the express purpose of rehabilitating the ageing water and sewerage infrastructure for Greater Harare,” Masunda told NewsDay yesterday.
“Dr Tendai John Mahachi, the Town Clerk, and I, as the Mayor of Harare at the material time, signed the requisite Agreement of Loan in our respective capacities as the duly authorised signatories. I hasten to add that, given my background as one of the most senior legal practitioners in Zimbabwe, I went through the agreement with a fine toothcomb and duly signed it as there was nothing amiss in it.”
The former Harare mayor added: “I am waiting with bated breath for the outcome of the investigation which, by the way, should be carried out by duly qualified forensic specialists who would, thereafter, present their findings to my successor, (Bernard Gabriel Manyenyeni), for consideration by him and his team of democratically elected councillors at either a Full Council Meeting or Special Council Meeting.”
Masunda also said that those found on the wrong side of the law should face the music.
“Once that has happened, those individuals who are found with their hands deep in the cookie jar will have to face the full wrath of the law.
Incidentally, I am not a fan of what appears to be the most popular game in the country at the moment i.e. hauling public officials over the coals before either parliamentary portfolio committees or ad hoc council committees which usually degenerate into kangaroo courts largely because they are invariably not properly manned and resourced,” he said.
Masunda’s frustrations were also shared by residents in the capital city. Harare residents demand answers
