Harare, Zimbabwe – The deepening crisis within the City of Harare took a dark turn today as Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe dropped a bombshell, exposing a sophisticated “legal” racket allegedly used by Mayor Jacob Mafume and his inner circle to pillage state land.
While the Minister laid out the mechanics of the corruption at a heated press conference, sources close to the development allege that a frantic Mayor Mafume spent the better part of the afternoon attempting to “clean up” the fallout. It is alleged that the Mayor moved aggressively to bribe journalists who attended the briefing, seeking to silence the media and suppress the damning details revealed by the Minister.
The ‘Self-Suing’ Strategy
According to Minister Garwe, the corruption wasn’t just haphazard—it was engineered. He revealed a shocking tactic where Harare officials essentially sued themselves to bypass standard land allocation protocols.
The Minister detailed how the Council leadership allegedly:
-
Initiated litigation against the City of Harare (their own employer).
-
Quickly consented to the very court orders they were “fighting.”
-
Used these High Court orders as a legal shield to facilitate massive land grabs under the guise of “judicial compliance.”
“They reported the council, not knowing it would come back to haunt them,” Minister Garwe stated, dismissing allegations that he himself was involved in land dealings. “I do not dupe the state. The Mayor and his team are the real land barons.”
Frantic Damage Control
As news of the Minister’s “blistering counterattack” spread, reports surfaced of a Mayor in panic mode. Insiders suggest that Mafume’s camp realized the gravity of the Minister’s revelations—particularly the exposure of the four companies linked to his circle—and pivoted to media suppression.
The allegations of bribery suggest a desperate attempt to keep the details of the “self-suing” scheme out of the public eye. Despite these alleged efforts to muzzle the press, the fallout from the Minister’s briefing continues to reverberate through Town House.
A Web of Corruption
The scandal has already seen the arrests of Mayor Mafume, Deputy Mayor Rosemary Muronda, and former MP Shadreck Mashayamombe. While a recent complainant, Mavis Java, withdrew her charges, the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) has signaled that the investigation is far from over.
Minister Garwe confirmed he had previously warned the Mayor about these questionable transactions, but the warnings went unheeded. He characterized the current arrests as “inevitable,” describing the Mayor’s team as the “true powerbrokers” behind the city’s land crisis.
For comments, Feedback and Opinions do get in touch with our editor on WhatsApp: +44 7949 297606.
