Leading anti-corruption watchdog, Transparency International Zimbabwe (TIZ) has said the audit of Mutare City Council that was spearheaded by the Minister of Local Government shows that both government and civil society are agreed on the need to jointly fight corruption that is hindering economic development.

Local Government, Public Works and National Housing minister Saviour Kasukuwere has since described the report as “a document full of puzzling transactions” after the audit exposed deep rooted corruption and gross unprofessional conduct in the handling of financial affairs of the cash strapped municipality which has allegedly failed to pay workers in eighteen months.

In the city, salaries were consuming the largest chunk of revenue with top management consuming hefty allowances and loan advances among other pecks at the expense of service delivery. The engineering department was accused of lack of accountability and proper records for council-owned land.

Stands were being issued for sale without proof of payment, with isolated cases of dual allocations which noted, and the council swapping its debt for land. On the other hand, senior management was paid unbudgeted for expenditure in respect of allowances such as holiday, water, electricity housing and school fees for their children attending expensive private schools.

It has also emerged that a huge workforce of 1501 employees takes up 85% of revenue leaving 15% for service delivery and that over $300 million collected revenue was not banked into city accounts.

Irked by such a development, there was uproar at Mutare City Council on Wednesday 20 January 2016 from residents and civic society groups that called for an overhaul of management at the Civic Centre following a leaked report of gross corruption.

Although the havoc got abruptly diluted following a confrontation between two rival factions, one led by Dangamvura-Chikanga legislators Esau Mupfumi and the other by known city hooligans whom the legislator accused of being hired to drive Council management’s agenda, the residents however still demanded for answers concerning revealed in the leaked report. The residents demanded that corrupt council officials be fired and arrested for looting council coffers and service delivery should improve.

TI Z Accountability Monitoring Committee members were part of a group of Mutare residents who demonstrated against corrupt Mutare City Council Management.

“As the country’s leading anti-corruption watchdog, T IZ welcomes the Audit by the Minister of Local Government. The audit shows that both government and civic society are fighting corruption that has been crippling local government in Zimbabwe. Transparency and accountability must be promoted in local government and those found on the wrong side of the law must be brought before the courts of law,” TIZ said in a statement.

In its recommendations, TI Z urged the Minister of Local Government to follow up on action pledged by Council after the audit findings.

“Those implicated in corrupt activities must be investigated and state the timeline for accountability actions by council and the ministry and brought before the courts of law – No to impunity. It is time that persons who defraud public funds must be compelled to make restitution.”

It added that salaries and allowances of council management must be disclosed in terms of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards.

“A Land Audit on Mutare City Council must be carried out to determine who owns what and necessary corrective actions be instituted as a matter of urgency. A Human Resources Audit must be carried out to establish the number of people employed by the Mutare City Council and how much they are earning and the degree of indebtedness to employees.

“Council employees who retire after being implicated in corrupt activities should have their exit packages garnished so that public money is recovered,” TIZ said.

Corruption is rated to be chief among the major derailments of any economic turnaround blueprints instigated by Government in Zimbabwe. A December 2014 Transparency International report ranked Zimbabwe 156 out of 175 highly corrupt countries in the 2014 Global Corruption Perception Index with a score of 21.

In 2015 Zimbabwe was ranked 150 out of 167 countries also with a score of 21. The Corruption Perception Index measures the perceived public sector corruption worldwide. The score range is from 1 to 100. A lower score shows serious levels of public sector corruption. In 2014 and 2015 Zimbabwe has scored a low 21 meaning that public sector corruption in Zimbabwe is viewed as very high.

Government has also been criticized for not tackling head-on high profile corruption and corporate mis-governance cases. Executives and senior managers involved in big corporate scam cases often evade imprisonment while it appears that petty fraudsters are the ones commonly jailed.