The Justice Cheda-led Commission of Inquiry into the operations of Harare City Council (HCC) has exposed startling truths about the opposition-controlled local authority, highlighting serious issues of mismanagement and potential corruption. One of the most shocking revelations is that HCC has been operating without a comprehensive database of businesses and shops in the city, a critical oversight that raises concerns about governance and accountability.
This lack of oversight and organization has created an environment where council leaders are tempted to allocate themselves lucrative sectors to “manage,” potentially enriching themselves at the expense of the city. The mismanagement has resulted in significant revenue losses for the council, further worsening service delivery in Harare.
The absence of accountability has become a hallmark of opposition-led councils. This governance loophole has not only enabled corruption among legitimate council officials but has also allowed impersonators to extort money and goods from unlicensed shop owners, deepening the chaos in the city’s administration.
In another troubling revelation, HCC has failed to collect revenue from its 130 beerhalls for the past 13 years. Even more shocking is that three of these establishments were sold off under questionable circumstances, a situation made possible by the absence of a proper business registry. The termination of the contract between HCC and Ten Ten Tech, a company that was responsible for revenue collection and reconciliation, has further raised red flags. Between 2017 and 2021, Ten Ten Tech collected over US$20 million for the city, but the abrupt cancellation of its contract has sparked suspicions that this was a strategic maneuver to redirect funds into the personal accounts of city leadership.
Even more concerning is the audacity of the city’s executives, who seem to prioritize personal enrichment over essential service delivery. Recent revelations indicate that some council executives are earning salaries as high as USD 27,000, while the city’s water and sewer infrastructure continue to deteriorate with no clear solution in sight.
In response to these ongoing issues, residents have called on the Government to intervene, demanding the establishment of a monitoring body or authority with oversight over local councils. Critics argue that HCC’s inability to devise a master plan for the city in 2024 further demonstrates the incompetence of its management.
