Harare Mayor Points Finger at Wife in Hostel Inspection Controversy

For all the News from Mashonaland Central, Join One of Our Groups:

Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume has implicated his wife in the ongoing controversy surrounding a luxury hostel inspection report for a building in Belvedere. Appearing before the Commission of Inquiry led by retired High Court Judge Justice Maphios Cheda, Mafume stated that his wife is overseeing the construction of the hostel, which is intended to accommodate over 60 Harare Institute of Technology (HIT) students.

The property, allegedly acquired through kickbacks from South African firm Quill Associates involved in Harare City Council’s Enterprise Resource Plan, was reportedly built without adhering to council regulations on planning and inspection.

Mafume presented an inspection report to the commission, showing six visits to the property in a single month, with some visits just three days apart, all seemingly documented with the same pen.

To Advertise Inbox Us:

Tapiwa Fresh Godzi, who led the commission’s evidence, questioned the speed of construction, asking, “I wonder at what rate the builders are working. Inspection after inspection every three days. Is that reasonable?” Mafume maintained that it was reasonable.

Justice Cheda inquired about the identity of the inspector, to which Mafume admitted he had never met the person face to face. “These people approving this building all have the same signature, correct?” Justice Cheda asked. Mafume confirmed this and again implicated his wife in the inspection controversy.

“I have not met the inspector personally. They visit the site where there is a contractor. This is being handled by my wife,” he stated.

NewZimbabwe.com has learned that the City Council has no record of Mafume paying for any of the six inspections he presented to the commission. Sources indicate that Mafume lacks receipts to prove payment.

“Payment is required for each inspection stage by city officials. Mafume made no payments and has no proof of payment for any of the inspections,” a source stated.

During his testimony, Mafume admitted he had not obtained council approval to change the property’s use from residential to commercial. Such changes require approval from the works and town planning committee, but Mafume made no application, and no committee meeting minutes exist approving the renovations.

“The change of use plan does not exist. That one is not there,” said a noticeably nervous Mafume.

Change-of-use plans are typically paid for before construction begins. “A typical building plan for the hostel Mafume is building costs around three thousand US dollars, which he has not paid to the council,” a source said.

This represents a violation of by-laws that Mafume, as Harare’s mayor, is expected to uphold.

Another source claims Mafume used intermediaries to handle the hostel construction and the purchase of a Greendale mansion, avoiding direct involvement. This, the source believes, was a strategy to evade scrutiny, but his “shady deals” have now “come back to haunt him”.

Follow Our WhatsApp Channel for all the News from Mashonaland Central – Bindura, Mbire, Guruve, Mount Darwin, Rushinga, Shamva, Mazowe & Muzarabani: