By Dumisani Ndlovu
Harare Town Clerk Hosiah Chisango has been suspended by Mayor Jacob Mafume over a litany of allegations, including awarding a tender to a blacklisted company and extending his term of office indefinitely without council approval.
Chisango’s suspension, effective September 30, 2024, comes with pay and benefits, but he is barred from reporting for duty, entering, or acting on behalf of the City of Harare during this period.
Mafume outlined the grounds for suspension in a letter, citing Chisango’s misconduct as the council’s accounting officer. Specifically, Chisango allegedly awarded a tender for street lights to Jukula Enterprises, a blacklisted company with a history of breaching tender obligations.
Additionally, Mafume accused Chisango of failing to secure effective Enterprise Resource Planning Software and System support for the council’s billing and accounting systems for about five years. Chisango also renewed other senior employees’ contracts without authorization and made unauthorized changes to the council organogram and structure.
Chisango’s contract at the helm of the Harare City Council (HCC) expired in 2023 after serving his initial four-year term. However, he extended his contract without limit of time without council approval or the necessary authorization from the Local Government Board.
“This letter serves to inform you that on the grounds stated below, you are hereby suspended from all your duties as the Town Clerk… You misconducted yourself in the procurement and award of a tender… and failed to protect council’s interest,” Mafume stated in the suspension letter.
Chisango was recently granted bail by the High Court after spending nearly two months in remand prison over tender fraud allegations. His suspension has sparked interest, with many awaiting the outcome of the investigation.
