Staff Reporter

Harare Mayor, Councillor Jacob Mafume, has publicly admitted to presiding over the city’s governance failures, including mismanagement and the unlawful awarding of personal perks at the expense of service delivery.

Appearing before the Commission of Inquiry on governance matters of the City of Harare yesterday, Mafume expressed remorse for the deteriorating state of the capital.

“I am sorry that there is poor service delivery in the city. I would like to see things changing for ratepayers. I am sorry for the state that the city is in. I am prepared to start on a clean slate,” he said.

His apology comes as investigations reveal that he has been pushing to be awarded mayoral benefits, including accommodation, despite no legal provision for such perks.

While testifying, Mafume argued that he was entitled to mayoral privileges, including housing, even though this was not in line with existing regulations.

“As per practice, a mayor is entitled to certain perks, and because the mayoral mansion is occupied, they had to look for alternative accommodation for me,” he claimed.

However, top city officials refuted his assertions, confirming that the move to provide him with housing was illegal.

Harare City Council’s Director of Housing, Edmore Nhekairo, and Acting Chamber Secretary, Advocate Warren Chiwawa, stated that the resolution to offer the mayor alternative accommodation violated ministerial directives.

“It is illegal. That resolution was not supposed to stand because a circular from the minister had come and did say that,” said Nhekairo.

“I advised them against going through with the resolution because the ministerial circular overrides resolutions made by the council,” added Chiwawa.

This latest scandal follows an embarrassing incident on Wednesday when Mafume was caught in a lie about his residence.

Leading the Commission of Inquiry to an address he claimed as his home, investigators discovered that he did not live there, further damaging his credibility.

The inquiry has also unearthed deeper governance issues, with senior city officials, including Assistant Executive to the Town Clerk Matthew Marara, Acting Finance Director Godfrey Kusangaya, and Acting Human Capital Director Bosman Matengarufu, appearing before the commission and exposing widespread corruption at Town House.

The Harare City Council Commission of Inquiry was established by President Emmerson Mnangagwa to investigate corruption, misgovernance, and financial irregularities within the local authority since 2017.

The revelations from Mafume’s testimony, along with those of other officials, paint a picture of deep-rooted mismanagement that has contributed to Harare’s declining service delivery.

With more hearings expected, the commission is likely to uncover further evidence of malpractice, potentially leading to accountability measures against those responsible for the decay of the capital city.