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*Harare City Council Probe Team's Tenure Extended*

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President Emmerson Mnangagwa has extended the tenure of the Commission of Inquiry into the governance of Harare City Council by three months to allow it to complete its work.

The Commission, set up on May 10 with an initial six-month mandate to probe HCC from 2017, now has until early February 2025 to complete its work and report back to the President by early May.

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Chaired by retired High Court judge Justice Maphios Cheda, the Commission includes former MDC top official Lucia Matibenga, Steven Chakaipa, Tabani Vusa Mpofu, and Khonzani Ncube. Local Government and Public Works Secretary John Basera is the commission’s secretary.

In Proclamation 5 of 2024, gazetted in Statutory Instrument 180 of 2024 on November 8, President Mnangagwa exercised the option of a three-month extension, extending the investigation to nine months.

The Commission’s terms of reference include investigating financial management systems, and audit compliance with the Public Finance Management Act, and other laws.

The Commission will investigate the financial management of revenue generated through special vehicle companies and other outsourced arrangements, such as Rufaro Marketing and City Parking.

The Commission will also investigate why Harare has not had an Enterprise Resource Planning system to manage its accounts since 2019 and quantify any resulting losses.

The Auditor-General has reported that the lack of an appropriate system has made it impossible to determine what has happened to some council revenue and whether funds are being misappropriated.

The Commission will investigate the management, sale, lease, or transfer of the local authority’s properties to private entities.

The Commission will also probe the convening of council meetings, adherence to standing orders and rules, and compliance with procurement laws, including the disposal of assets.

The President gave the Commission open-ended authority to investigate any other matter deemed appropriate and relevant to the inquiry.

The Commission has full power to visit premises, summon witnesses, record proceedings, and minute testimonies, and manage all gathered information.

Since being sworn in, the Commission has gathered evidence and questioned councillors and officials in public hearings.

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