By Municipal Reporter-President Emmerson Mnangagwa has reportedly intervened to shield Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume from potential jail time despite damning findings of corruption and mismanagement at Town House, raising fresh concerns about the mayor’s suspected political capture by Zanu PF.
This follows the release of a Commission of Inquiry report led by retired High Court judge Justice Maphios Cheda, which exposed massive rot at the Harare City Council.
The report uncovered gross abuse of office by senior officials, including unexplained perks, unjustified foreign trips, and luxury vehicle acquisitions—while the city faces a total collapse in basic service delivery.
Despite the gravity of the findings, the report curiously singled out Mafume for praise, describing him as a “lone wolf” in the fight against corruption. Mnangagwa echoed this sentiment, going so far as to declare that Mafume would “remain in his post forever.”
Observers say this conspicuous praise is part of a broader political strategy to co-opt opposition figures and install pliable actors in key positions ahead of the 2028 elections.
Mafume, once a vocal critic of Zanu PF and a senior official in the opposition MDC Alliance, has long been accused of abandoning the democratic movement in favour of political survival.
His association with self-imposed Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) Secretary-General Sengezo Tshabangu, who has been instrumental in orchestrating recalls of elected CCC officials to the benefit of Zanu PF, has fuelled suspicions of collusion.
Sources within Town House allege that Mafume has maintained close ties with Tshabangu and is now a key asset in Zanu PF’s efforts to destabilize the opposition and neutralize independent urban governance.
By siding with the ruling party’s agenda, Mafume has reportedly secured immunity from prosecution in exchange for loyalty.
The Cheda-led commission exposed staggering financial abuses.
The city’s top executives were found to be earning between US$15,000 and US$30,000 per month, while Harare’s residents suffer under mounting garbage, erratic water supplies, sewer bursts, and a worsening cholera outbreak.
City bosses spent over US$124,000 on foreign junkets and blew more than US$1 million on luxury vehicles during the election season—all without Local Government Board approval.
Reuben Akilli, director of the Combined Harare Residents Association, called for a complete overhaul of the city’s governance structure:
“Residents are paying the price for maladministration and corruption. We expect the President to prioritize local government reform in Parliament. Heads must roll.”
Precious Shumba, coordinator of the Harare Residents Trust, demanded that senior managers be removed to make way for professional junior staff.
“There is no longer any justification to keep those who have failed the city,” Shumba said.
Despite growing calls for accountability, council executives and Mafume himself have remained silent, reportedly waiting for Mnangagwa’s directive.
This silence, coupled with Mafume’s perceived protection by State House, has led critics to conclude that Harare’s mayor has been fully absorbed into Zanu PF’s patronage network.
As panic grips Town House and implicated officials scramble for spiritual intervention to avoid dismissal or prosecution, the residents of Harare are left with sewage in the streets, dry taps, and collapsing infrastructure—while their supposed champion is praised by the very system he once opposed.