Published: 2 hours ago

Two months after President Emmerson Mnangagwa received the Justice Cheda Commission of Inquiry report into alleged corruption and financial mismanagement at Town House, no action has been taken, raising fears that the explosive findings may end up gathering dust like many other past investigations.

The report, which followed months of forensic work, was expected to trigger decisive reforms and prosecutions. In June, Local Government Minister Daniel Garwe described Harare City Council as "rotten" and warned that heads would roll. However, despite the strong language, residents say it has been business as usual at Town House, with no visible consequences for those implicated.

Reuben Akili, director of the Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA), said the silence was deeply troubling and undermined the credibility of the probe. "If the same President who sanctioned the investigation now says he needs to wait for his own decision, I think that undermines the true remit of the President," Akili said. He stressed that the report must be made public so that responsible institutions can act on its recommendations, pointing out that year after year the Auditor General had highlighted serious governance issues in Harare that remain unresolved.

Precious Shumba, director of the Harare Residents Trust, also criticised the government's approach, questioning why the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) continued to be tasked with new investigations when residents and other stakeholders had already provided detailed submissions to the Cheda Commission. "The troubling part is that the report has not been made public. It has not been shared with Parliament. Residents are left in the dark," Shumba said. "Meanwhile, the City of Harare is making decisions that contradict the commission's inquiry — for example, the Mayor proposing to set up yet another structure to investigate corruption."

Although the findings remain under wraps, insiders say the report lays bare systemic graft that has crippled the capital city. It exposes how once-thriving municipal enterprises such as Rufaro Marketing and Harare Quarry were hollowed out by political interference, looting, and the creation of ghost accounts that siphoned off millions in potential revenue. City Parking was reportedly identified as another hotspot of fraud, with internal manipulation depriving the city of much-needed income. The commission also heard testimony about a toxic culture of intimidation, in which whistle-blowers, residents, and council employees who attempted to expose wrongdoing were silenced by entrenched power cliques.

The report is said to recommend strong punitive action against those implicated, some of whom are still serving in senior positions within the council. It paints a picture of widespread abuse of public resources, deliberate sabotage of governance frameworks, and systematic diversion of funds, leaving Harare virtually ungovernable.

For many residents, the delay in acting on the report has revived concerns that politics, rather than accountability, will determine its fate. While the Cheda Commission was expected to provide a turning point in addressing corruption at Town House, critics warn that unless Mnangagwa makes the findings public and allows enforcement bodies to act, the capital will remain trapped in a cycle of graft, mismanagement, and service delivery collapse.
- Business Times

You might also want to read this

• 'Zimbabwe govt must protect citizens from corruption'
• Corruption busters short-listed
• Zimbabwe losing $4bn annually to corruption
• 'Corruption on the increase in Zim'
• Corruption hampering Zim economic growth
• Mugabe urged to expand corruption probe