Harare City Council Spends Over US$11,000 on Newspaper Subscriptions and Gadgets Amidst US$131,000 Payout for Suspended Official

Marara, who faced suspension from his responsibilities at the City Council from December 2020 until May 2023, was controversially compensated by the financially struggling municipality for the duration of his absence. The method through which he was reimbursed brings its legality into question.

Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume initiated a negotiation committee to ascertain the sum of money the City would allocate to Marara.

During his appearance before the Commission of Inquiry on Tuesday, Marara disclosed that the committee came to a consensus to pay him US$131,000.

This amount encompassed a staggering US$3,256 as reimbursement for newspaper subscriptions, US$3,700 for a laptop, US$2,550 for a mobile phone, and US$1,920 for an iPad alongside other advantages.

The inflated costs for Marara’s entitlements raise alarms regarding corruption and mismanagement within the HCC.

RELATED: Harare Town Clerk’s assistant collects US$12,000 monthly while the ‘cash-strapped’ council struggles to procure staff uniforms

However, the embattled Marara defended the compensation stating that he was justified in receiving it.

“There were payments I was entitled to. During my absence, I ought to have received these newspapers while I was working, thus I am accustomed to reading newspapers and continued to purchase them myself. Hence I was compensated,” stated Marara.

The contentious compensation of Marara arises at a moment when the City of Harare is battling to deliver essential services to its residents, attributing it to a critical lack of finances.

This situation furthermore compounds the ongoing fiscal turmoil involving Marara, who previously informed the retired Justice Maphios Cheda-led Commission of Inquiry that his salary is US$12,000.

This income pertains to a position specifically established for him within the City Council under dubious circumstances.

Marara told the Commission that other employees prior to him enjoyed similar inflated compensation packages, establishing a precedent.

“Numerous employees in the City of Harare have similar claims. This did not commence with me. I raised my concerns and if the employer then decides how to address my grievances, I found no issue with that.

“I may or may not have benefited. It was a bargaining process. It was not guaranteed that I would gain anything. They could have denied me everything. Before I arrived to finalize this settlement, there were others, an example being Dr. Chimombe and Tendai Kwenda. They had committees set for comparable matters.

“They were the ones who established benchmarks with regards to even the prices for equipment. We simply adopted what had been set as the standard in other negotiation processes that transpired,” he mentioned.