KEY POINTS
- Mafume says his wife handled the hostel’s construction.
- City records show no payments for required inspections.
- Alleged kickbacks funded the hostel and a mansion.
Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume is at the center of a growing scandal involving a luxury hostel inspection controversy. The controversy, linked to alleged kickbacks and missing council payments, has drawn intense scrutiny.
Mayor shifts blame in hostel inspection scandal
The problems surrounding a luxury hostel inspection report connected to a property he is developing in Belvedere have been attributed by Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume to his wife.
According to Mafume’s testimony on Tuesday before a committee of inquiry headed by retired High Court Judge Maphios Cheda, his wife is in charge of the hostel’s development, which is expected to house over 60 students from the Harare Institute of Technology.
The property was purportedly acquired through bribery from Quill Associates, a South African company that works on the Enterprise Resource Planning system for the Harare City Council. According to reports, the building did not meet city planning and inspection requirements.
Leading the commission’s evidence, Tapiwa Fresh Godzi, raised concerns about the quick inspection schedule.
“I’m curious how quickly the builders are working. Every three days, one inspection follows another. Is that rational? Godzi inquired.
Mafume maintained that the inspections were valid. Mafume acknowledged that he had never met the inspector when Justice Cheda questioned him about who had carried them out.
Mafume attested to this and once more mentioned his wife’s role.
“The inspector and I haven’t met in person. They go to the location, where a contractor is working. “My wife is taking care of this,” he stated.
According to NewZimbabwe, the municipal council does not have any documentation showing that Mafume paid for any of the six inspections he mentioned. According to sources, Mafume does not have any receipts to support their claims.
No proof of payment for six inspections
“City officials demand payment for every stage of the inspection. According to a source, Mafume did not pay for any of the inspections and does not have any documentation of payment.
Mafume acknowledged in his testimony that he did not get council authority to convert the property from residential to commercial use. “There is no change-of-use plan in place. “That one isn’t there,” Mafume remarked, clearly trembling.
Payment for these approvals is usually required prior to the start of construction.
Mafume is required to enforce city bylaws in his capacity as mayor, therefore his alleged infractions are very serious.
According to a different account, Mafume avoided having his name appear on official documents by using middlemen to supervise the building of a dormitory and buy a property in Greendale.
