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Harare
Council managers accused of looting food rations
The Standard
(Zimbabwe)
November
05, 2006
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/viewinfo.cfm?linkid=11&id=5194&siteid=1
AN internal Harare City Council audit
has revealed that senior managers in the Municipal Police department
abused food rations worth over $97 000.
The food rations — tinned beef, beans,
fish and spaghetti — were to have been given to officers who took
part in Operations
Murambatsvina and Garikai.
But the food ended up being served
to senior Municipal police managers during breakfast and other meetings.
Some of tinned food was taken home.
The officers who withheld the rations
never sought any authority from the Chamber Secretary, Josephine
Ncube, the audit said.
The audit was carried out after four
municipal police officers blew the whistle.
But the case took a turn for the worse
for the whistle blowers, who have gone for the past three months
without pay.
Patrolmen and members of the Harare
Municipal Workers’ Union Gift Jembe, Isaac Sigauke, Howard Mazanhi
and Message Sadomba have taken their case to the Ministry of Labour.
They say they are being victimised for exposing the corruption.
Their lawyer, Joel Mambara of J Mambara
and Partners early last month wrote a letter to the Town Clerk advising
him that his clients were being victimised.
"Our clients are at a loss for this
draconian unwarranted and illegal measure. Our clients also strongly
feel that they are being victimised for revealing malpractices and
corruption in their department," wrote Mambara.
In papers filed with the Ministry of
Labour, the workers wrote:
"During Operation Murambatsvina and
subsequently Garikai, Harare Municipal Police divisional management
spared a lot of tinned foods which were meant to be ration for officers
on duty.
"Later, after these operations our
management started eating and taking home the spared tinned foods,"
said the workers in a joint affidavit.
Chamber Secretary Ncube was not immediately
available for comment.
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