The
report
is
expected
to
be
submitted
to
the
President
in
the
coming
days,
potentially
paving
the
way
for
mass
suspensions,
arrests,
and
a
complete
overhaul
of
the
council.
Chaired
by
retired
Justice
Maphios
Cheda,
the
commission
was
mandated
to
examine
various
aspects
of
the
council’s
operations
since
2017.
It
was
established
under
Proclamation
2
and
gazetted
as
Statutory
Instrument
91
of
2024.
According
to Business
Times,
sources
say
the
long-awaited
report
exposes
widespread
corruption
involving
councillors
and
senior
officials,
linked
to
multi-million-dollar
scandals
that
have
severely
affected
the
city’s
operations.
Said
a
source:
It’s
dusted
and
done—just
waiting
to
be
presented.
A
lot
of
officials
were
red-flagged.
The
commission
uncovered
serious
issues,
including
financial
mismanagement,
corruption,
and
irregularities
within
housing
cooperatives
and
council
operations.
For
instance,
it
found
that
Harare
councillors
allocated
over
5,000
illegal
plots
ahead
of
the
2023
elections,
while
senior
officials
were
receiving
excessively
high
salaries.
The
inquiry
also
revealed
that
Harare
Quarry
had
not
declared
its
revenue
since
2018,
with
millions
of
dollars
reportedly
embezzled.