Harare City Council’s housing director, Mr. Addmore Nhekairo, splurged US$8,000 on a luxurious family vacation to Zanzibar, while residents endure years without potable running water and the city struggles to procure basic necessities like toilet paper.

Testifying before the Retired Justice Maphios Cheda-led commission, Mr. Nhekairo admitted to taking the trip in December last year, covering himself, his wife, and three children, using arrears from his US$2,500 annual holiday allowance, which was later reduced to US$2,000. Despite the city’s financial crisis, he revealed that he is still owed another US$8,000 in unpaid holiday perks.

The revelations come as Harare’s top officials continue to enjoy hefty perks, with directors earning up to US$12,000 per month while junior employees face delayed salaries. The commission also exposed that the city’s eight directors are entitled to fully paid holiday trips, covering spouses and up to three children at the expense of ratepayers, with destinations including Victoria Falls (local), Mauritius (regional), and Dubai (international).

Further bombshells emerged when assistant director to the town clerk, Matthew Marara, disclosed he received US$27,000 in holiday allowances while on suspension for 30 months—including US$9,000 for local trips and US$18,000 for regional getaways.

Harare residents, grappling with crippling service delivery failures, are left to question how a cash-strapped council can justify luxury vacations for executives while the city’s basic infrastructure crumbles.