By Municipal Reporter-Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume, a key ally of controversial CCC secretary-general Sengezo Tshabangu, faces possible imprisonment over corruption allegations linked to fraudulent tenders and bribery.
A Commission of Inquiry into the City of Harare’s operations has implicated Mafume in looting municipal funds through corrupt tender allocations and kickbacks.
Testimony before the commission claims Mafume accepted a US$200,000 bribe in 2019 from Quill Associates, a company contracted to supply accounting software to the municipality.
The money was allegedly used to purchase a house at 9 Sky Master in Belvedere.
When questioned about his residence, Mafume initially told the commission he lived in Belvedere but later changed his statement, claiming he resided at 110 Coronation Road in Greendale, citing safety concerns.
Quill Associates, through its managing director D. Van Heerden, has strongly denied any involvement in bribery, demanding a public apology and retraction from the commission.
In a letter dated February 6, the company dismissed the allegations as baseless and damaging to its reputation.
“We are deeply troubled by these allegations, which lack credible evidence and seem to be driven by factors unrelated to the facts,” the company stated.
The complaint letter was copied to the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, the clerk of Parliament, and the chairperson of the parliamentary portfolio committee on public works.
Quill Associates insists it never independently sought re-engagement with the City of Harare in 2024 and challenges the commission to provide empirical proof of the bribery claim.
Mafume’s legal troubles are the latest in a series of controversies surrounding Sengezo Tshabangu, whose disputed leadership of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) has sparked internal turmoil and weakened the opposition party.
Tshabangu, a self-proclaimed CCC secretary-general, has been accused of working to dismantle Nelson Chamisa’s political movement by recalling elected opposition members and installing loyalists.
His factional manoeuvring led to the expulsion of key CCC legislators and councillors, enabling the ruling ZANU-PF to tighten its grip on local governance.
Tshabangu’s actions have raised suspicions of state collusion, with critics alleging he is a political pawn used to undermine democratic opposition structures.
Mafume, a beneficiary of Tshabangu’s power moves, now finds himself at the center of a corruption scandal that further taints the CCC faction aligned with the controversial secretary-general.
His potential prosecution could deal yet another blow to Tshabangu’s camp, reinforcing claims that his leadership has been more about personal and political survival than genuine opposition politics.