The
Harare
Residents’
Trust
(HRT)
says
the
failure
to
finalise
the
recruitment
process
—
which
was
reportedly
completed
in
February
—
has
left
the
city
vulnerable
to
financial
mismanagement
and
corruption.
The
position
has
remained
vacant
since
2018,
with
a
series
of
acting
finance
directors
occupying
the
role
over
the
years.
The
current
acting
finance
director,
Godfrey
Kusangaya,
has
held
the
post
on
a
contract
extended
beyond
retirement
age.
Recruitment
of
a
substantive
finance
director
has
stalled
despite
the
process
being
debated
in
full
council
earlier
this
year.
The
matter
was
referred
back
to
the
Human
Resources
and
General
Purposes
Committee
and
has
not
returned
to
council
for
approval,
according
to
HRT.
The
group
accuses
some
councillors,
senior
officials
and
the
Local
Government
Board
of
deliberately
delaying
the
process,
alleging
that
the
leadership
vacuum
is
enabling
looting
and
financial
irregularities.
The
position
was
advertised
twice
—
first
in
2023,
and
again
in
October
2024
—
after
initial
efforts
collapsed
over
governance
concerns
raised
by
the
Local
Government
Board.
Interviews
were
held
in
February
this
year
at
a
Harare
hotel,
overseen
by
both
city
officials
and
representatives
from
the
Ministry
of
Local
Government
and
Public
Works.
“The
lack
of
a
substantive
finance
director
is
weakening
financial
oversight
and
allowing
corruption
to
thrive,”
said
HRT
in
a
statement.
The
last
substantive
finance
director,
Tendai
Kwenda,
was
suspended
and
dismissed
in
2018
over
allegations
of
corruption
and
financial
mismanagement.
His
predecessor,
Justin
Mandizha,
appointed
from
the
private
sector,
was
also
forced
out
after
clashing
with
councillors
and
officials
over
financial
reforms.
Since
then,
multiple
acting
directors
have
rotated
through
the
role,
some
later
facing
corruption
charges
or
moving
to
other
councils.
HRT
says
the
leadership
gap
has
affected
financial
planning,
revenue
collection,
and
service
delivery
in
Harare,
with
critical
departments
reportedly
struggling
to
access
funds.
“Payments
are
being
made
without
due
diligence,
and
council
is
losing
millions
of
US
dollars
through
dubious
procurement
deals,”
the
trust
said.
The
group
is
calling
on
the
Ministry
of
Local
Government
to
intervene
and
ensure
the
appointment
process
is
completed
urgently.
“The
residents
of
Harare
deserve
transparent
leadership
and
financial
accountability,”
said
HRT.
Post
published
in:
Featured