By Municipal Reporter-Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume faces possible arrest and imprisonment after retired High Court judge Justice Maphios Cheda early this week handed over the final report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Harare City Council to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, an act critics have described as effectively “signing Mafume’s prison warrant.”
The report, if it confirms acts of corruption and criminal abuse of office, could lead to the prosecution of Mafume and other top council officials.
Mafume, a close ally of self-imposed Citizens Coalition for Change secretary-general Sengezo Tshabangu, is politically and administratively accountable for the alleged rot at Town House.
Local Government Minister Daniel Garwe has already recommended that those implicated in the report be arrested and prosecuted, signaling that criminal charges could follow soon.
“The President will study the report and act on its recommendations. Where criminal activities are confirmed, those responsible should face the full wrath of the law, including imprisonment,” Garwe said during a media briefing at State House after the report was submitted.
The Commission of Inquiry, set up by President Mnangagwa in 2023, conducted a year-long investigation into suspected financial mismanagement, corruption, and service delivery failures at the City of Harare.
For nine months, the commission held public hearings in which residents, city employees, and stakeholders testified about dysfunction and misgovernance.
According to Garwe, the findings paint a damning picture of systemic decay under Mafume’s watch, marked by financial irregularities, extravagant perks for senior officials, and disregard for the suffering of residents.
“Harare City Council is decayed to the core,” he said. “The commission uncovered shocking levels of extravagance, with officials awarding themselves hefty allowances while residents endure dry taps, uncollected refuse, and crumbling infrastructure.”
Justice Cheda confirmed that the report includes detailed evidence and recommendations on how to address the deep-seated governance failures at Town House.
A clean-up of the council is expected once the President reviews the findings.
If corruption is proven, Mafume and other senior officials may face arrest, effectively turning the commission’s report into the legal trigger for their downfall.
With political pressure mounting and the nation watching, Mafume’s future hangs in the balance—awaiting President Mnangagwa’s next move.