Revelations of Alleged Perks Shake Harare City Council

Accusations have surfaced against Harare City Council’s senior officials, alleging concealed salaries and benefits amid failing municipal services. These claims highlight administrative irregularities and financial opacity.

The allegations came during a Commission of Inquiry, where officials from Groupview Technologies, the city’s former system supplier, shared damning testimonies regarding the council’s financial mismanagement.

Princess Mahari, managing director of Groupview Technologies, revealed how council leaders resisted integrating their payrolls into the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, raising suspicions of fraudulent practices.

Mahari emphasized that such actions opened avenues for unchecked salary payments, creating a breeding ground for financial manipulation and mismanagement across the council’s operations.

In her testimony, Mahari detailed how senior officials obstructed the inclusion of financial data from key subsidiaries like Rufaro Marketing and City Park. These moves raised questions about accountability.

Mahari noted that repeated efforts to address these issues were ignored. Reports on deficiencies in the ERP system were sidelined, leaving financial loopholes unaddressed.

The exclusion of executive payroll data from the ERP system added to the council’s financial woes, fostering an environment where corruption could thrive unchecked.

Technical operations officer Mike Jasi also shared concerns about the council’s reluctance to fully implement the ERP system. He warned this had exposed the city’s finances to serious risks.

Jasi stated that inadequate bank reconciliations left transactions unrecorded, providing opportunities for financial fraud and undermining confidence in the city’s governance.

Delays in integrating essential financial processes were labeled as deliberate acts that weakened the council’s ability to manage revenue generation effectively, Jasi added.

Revenue, described as the lifeblood of municipal services, has been compromised due to systematic negligence and delays in upgrading financial oversight mechanisms.

Jasi highlighted that repeated audit disclaimers, a significant red flag in financial reporting, have cast doubt over the city’s financial credibility and operational integrity.

Mahari and Jasi emphasized that the city council’s failure to adopt transparent accounting practices and modern systems had jeopardized its reputation and efficiency.

The testimony underscored broader concerns about maladministration within public institutions, especially when critical services like water and waste management remain grossly inadequate.

Observers argue that the alleged financial mismanagement within the council reflects a more significant issue of accountability in Zimbabwe’s local governance systems.

Harare residents, already burdened by deteriorating service delivery, now face the grim reality of potential financial abuse within the very institutions meant to serve them.

These allegations come as Zimbabwe grapples with an economic crisis, where transparency and accountability are needed to restore public confidence in governance structures.

With the inquiry ongoing, the spotlight remains on the Harare City Council to address these allegations and prove its commitment to responsible and ethical financial management.