The ManicaPost
Abel Zhakata Senior Reporter
MUTARE City Council has began probing its land surveyor – Jonah Alfred Maenzanise – in connection with an alleged stands scandal in which he is accused of acquiring 10 stands together with his wife in unclear circumstances.
The probe, which was triggered by an anonymous tip-off, will certainly open a can of worms at the local authority where senior managers are accused of lining up their pockets through a litany of vices that have prejudiced the municipality millions of dollars.
Town Clerk, Mr Joshua Maligwa, revealed on Tuesday that the council’s audit department will table its report by Friday (today), which he said would guide them in instituting appropriate action. “On Mr Maenzanise’s issue, while the police are carrying out their own investigations, we as council, in terms of our conditions of service we have also started instituting our own internal investigations by the audit section. As far as I am concerned, I was briefed that the report will be ready by the end of this week. When the probe report eventually comes out what we need to check is to see whether the stands were allocated procedurally and also to see whether the stands are in our billing system.
“Upon receiving that internal audit report we will then take appropriate action. That is if there is serious breach of the municipal conditions of service. In terms of corruption, our position is that it’s high time we should be seen embracing the Government’s stance on zero tolerance on corruption,” he said.
Mayor, Councillor Tatenda Nhamarare, sang from the same hymn book, saying those who abused their offices will face the music. “We have zero tolerance on corruption and if there are employees being caught engaging in corrupt activities the law will take precedence and we will not protect anyone. There are no sacred cows,” he said.
Maenzanise and his wife, Oppah Mautsa, have 10 stands – six of which are registered in the land surveyor’s name, while the remaining four stands are in his wife’s name.
Of the 10 stands, four are commercial stands, while the remaining six are residential ones dotted in Dangamvura, Chikanga, Florida and Greenside Extension.
