City Parking Harare, a company linked to the CCC and contracted by the CCC-run Harare City Council (HCC), has been short-changing the council between 2017 and 2022. The company remitted dues to HCC only in local currency, despite predominantly collecting fees in hard currency. This issue surfaced during a fact-finding mission by the Commission of Enquiry, set up by President Emmerson Mnangagwa, to audit the corrupt and inefficient management of HCC by CCC councillors.
The exploitation of the arbitrage opportunity by City Parking to collect USD and remit local currency reeks of corruption. It appears City Parking may be involved in parallel market activities to defraud HCC. Originally established by the then MDC-T, City Parking was meant to support the party by employing Council workers and funding opposition activities.
President Mnangagwa wisely established a Commission of Enquiry to address numerous corruption cases and the City’s failure to provide adequate services. The Commission must urgently and thoroughly investigate the deep-rooted corruption within the CCC-run HCC and City Parking.
HCC has become infamous for unmitigated corruption, criminal abuse of office, nepotism, and incompetence. These issues have turned the once “Sunshine City” into a “Sewerage City,” plagued by flowing sewage, uncollected refuse, pot-holed roads, haphazard settlements, and a lack of clean running tap water. This neglect has led to outbreaks of medieval diseases like cholera and typhoid, which have claimed residents’ lives.
Recognizing these serious deficiencies, the New Dispensation has implemented several short-term mitigation programs to improve the situation. These include the Urban Renewal Programme, the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP), the Presidential Borehole Scheme, the Title Deeds Programme, and a moratorium on all land allocations.
