Five Karoi Town Council workers were suspended last week for suspected corruption in the housing department.
BY NUNURAI JENA
The suspended officials include housing officer Sam Sithole, clerks Andrew Bangura, Phillip Hoyo, Emilda Dzomba and Bernadette Kataza The suspensions followed internal investigations started in October last year.
Karoi town secretary Maxwell Kaitano yesterday confirmed the suspensions.
“Yes, we suspended some officers in the housing department we will soon call them for a hearing,” Kaitano said.
A source said the five were suspended after a suspected fake receipt with a face value of $20 was picked up during an internal audit.
“The case was exposed after a suspicious-looking receipt issued by Sithole was presented to senior management. Sithole was handed a suspension letter and immediately resigned, prompting a probe, but they suspended four others to pave way for further investigations,” a source who declined to be named said.
Bangura accused senior management of targeting “small fish” while turning a “blind eye” to misdeeds by senior officers including some council directors whom he claimed were corrupt.
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He said some laptops carrying vital information mysteriously vanished from two directors’ offices before the new council led by chairman Richard Ziki came into office, but nothing was done to them.
He added: “What baffles us is the silence by management and policymakers as none of them was quizzed or suspended over the missing computers. The theft issue was cooked up to conceal massive corruption by senior managers,” Bangura said.
Karoi town’s housing department has been in shambles since 2011 with allegations of some residents being made to pay for non-existing stands.
