By Tafara Domboka| Underfire Harare Mayor Herbert Gomba is being accused of manipulating the minister of local government July Moyo and Harare provincial state minister Oliver Chidawu.

Sources who spoke to this publication accused Gomba of giving freebies to the two ministers in a bid to buy his freedom from the alleged corruption deeds he is being accused of.

“We have established that Mayor Gomba gave Julius Moyo a hefty amount as a protection fee so that he cannot be recalled from his position by MDC-T secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora.

“The same amount is also believed to also cater for the protection of his close allies Denford Ngadziore , Hammy Madzingira, Lovemore Makuruwerere,Costa Mande and Girisoti Mandere,” said one source who requested anonymity.

There are also accusations that Chidawu was rewarded with a tender by Mayor Gomba as a way to appease him.

“Gomba recently awarded a tender for road refurbishments to Bitumen world, a company which Chidawu has interests,” according to another impeccable source.

The Harare Mayor has been under the spotlight for alleged grand corruption which involves illegal parcelling out of land and investigations into the alleged theft land is being scuttled by the Mayor again.

“There are investigations into land theft being led by Municipal Police Chief Security officer Tongoona and Gomba is said to be sending emissaries to silence him. The investigations have already led to the suicide of one employee and implicate the housing director Edgar Dzehonye and Isaiah Zvenyika Chawatama,” added the source.

Efforts to get a comment from Harare Mayor Gomba were fruitless.

Recently, The Harare Residents Trust (HRT) director Precious Shumba allegedly implicated Harare Mayor, Herbert Gomba in illegal land deals that have seen housing stands being parcelled out on wetlands.

He was speaking at a breakfast meeting on wetlands management which was organized by the Harare Wetlands Trust and the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR).