A commission of inquiry established by President Emmerson Mnangagwa to look into financial mismanagement and corruption in Harare has encountered a significant setback with the death of Dr. Funny Machipisa, a key witness who was set to provide testimony regarding corruption at the town hall, according to reports from Business Times.
Dr. Machipisa, who worked as the District Administration Manager, had gathered evidence of various corrupt practices, including unfair land allocations by councilors and officials.
Before his death this week in Harare, Machipisa claimed there were attempts to demote him to silence him and stop him from testifying. Thabani Mpofu, the lead investigator, expressed his sadness over Machipisa’s death, saying he was expected to appear before the commission soon.
In a letter dated July 9, 2024, Machipisa explained that he was being forced out of his position because he opposed councilors who wanted land in wealthy neighborhoods instead of in their own areas. He had worked hard on reports for the allocation of 2,224 residential stands and informed the 59 councilors that the stands should be allocated within their wards, following a government directive from 2020.
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The councilors were unhappy with this, as they preferred land in upscale areas like Borrowdale, Highlands, Greendale, Mt Pleasant, and Malbereign. Machipisa warned them that their actions were against government rules and stated that their plan to remove him was to keep him from providing information to the commission investigating the City of Harare.
He worried that his replacement would lack the necessary information and might be pressured to ignore the issues. Machipisa also claimed that cartels were involved in retaliating against both councilors and officials.
Having worked for the council for 41 years, Machipisa’s death is considered a significant loss for the investigation. Mpofu also mentioned concerns about losing contact with senior council official Matthew Marara, who is expected to testify about corruption in the city. Marara’s situation is complicated by a controversial US$300,000 payment from the council before he was controversially reinstated.
This situation has further implicated the councilors, who now face accusations of being involved in corruption.
