Online Reporter
Herald Reporter
Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume has been accused of teaming up with councillors to grab executive control instead of keeping to his legal role of chairing the council, allegedly hand-picking an outside consultant to override acting successors to suspended Town Clerk Hosiah Chisango as power struggles rock the city.
This was revealed yesterday by Harare City’s assistant to town clerk, Matthew Marara during the ongoing commission of inquiry investigating the city’s operations since 2017. Mr Marara’s decision to explain what is happening at the council has been keeping the commission spellbound for several days.
Marara cited examples of councillors’ interference, including the appointment of an outside consultant who reportedly now wields significant control over council affairs, supposedly to implement a transformative strategy.
He also revealed that Mayor Mafume and Chisango used to engage in intense boardroom battles, adding that such interference was paralysing the city’s operations.
“You find the Mayor himself calling workers, low-level workers to his office, giving them directives, when it’s not supposed to be like that. When you try to resist what the Mayor wants, they try by all means to make sure that they kick you out.
“The truth must be known by the world that this council, City of Harare, is not running things correctly,” he said.
“This council is in chaos. The current council that we have is usurping executive powers. Council should be operating like a board, but our councillors are always at work with us as if they are employees of the council.”
Mr Marara also said the time Mayor Mafume spends at Town House raises eyebrows, given his paltry expenses and no salary as a ceremonial mayor.
“The former Mayor Masunda used to come to work even once a week, doing his other business, but the current mayor is always at work by 8am and knocks off late in the evening, yet he earns just US$95 in expenses from the Government, so you really wonder why he spends much of his time at work.
“That itself should tell you that he is always interfering with council workers, and a lot of councillors are disgruntled because he only works with a handful of councillors,” Marara said.
