US$4.5 Million Vanishes from Harare City Council: Mayor Mafume Discloses to Commission of Inquiry

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More than US$4.5 million has mysteriously disappeared from the Harare City Council (HCC) through its subsidiary, Harare Quarry, revealing significant corruption within the local authority.

This revelation came during the ongoing Commission of Inquiry investigating HCC operations.Harare Quarry received US$4.5 million from the City Council in 2018 to revive its operations. However, the funds vanished with no traceable paper trail.Mayor Jacob Mafume made the startling disclosure to the retired Justice Maphios Cheda-led Commission of Inquiry on Thursday as he continued with his testimony.

“The money was stolen,” Mafume said bluntly.When pressed by Cheda on who was responsible for the theft and what measures had been taken to investigate the missing funds, Mafume replied, “The management of Quarry. We resolved to get the Police involved. What we did is, we instituted, what was done before we were elected as Councillors. This was done by the previous Council and the previous management. We were elected in 2018.

The money was stolen, I am trying to think when the loan was advanced. I am not too sure.”Harare Quarry, one of the City Council’s subsidiaries, has become a hub of corruption, with top officials allegedly exploiting it for personal gain. The company has also failed to remit funds to the City Council despite leasing its premises to private companies.Mafume acknowledged that the company has been a financial burden on the Council, requiring constant bailouts.

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“I am very passionate about that US$4 million because that US$4 million is the one that has caused us to have differences with the management that was there. I have pursued it in different Council meetings. I have taken the actions within my power. As of current, because the properties are being constantly attached, I have suggested that the entity be put under management or what we used to call liquidation. For the past three weeks, as Council, we have had to pay amounts that are owed by the Quarry,” said Mafume.

HCC chamber secretary Warren Chiwawa said the matter had been reported to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission. “I had discussions with the Business Development manager, who confirmed that we indeed made a report after the matter came up in one of the committee meetings,” said Chiwawa.

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