Harare City Council Boss Marara’s resignation letter ‘disappears’ from Town House

Harare- DRAMA reigns supreme at Harare City Council as human resources manager Matthew Marara who resigned in 2020 refused to throw in the levers of power in the dustbin saying he never resigned from the council,” Express Mail Zim can report.

The millionaire and former soldier resigned after mounting pressure of legal battles and alleged fraud involving at least US$1 million in a land scam.

“Yes, it is true that I resigned last week.”

“I want to pursue my private business and further my academic studies,” he said on December 6, 2018.

He was awarded a package of US$330 000.

Express Mail Zim can reveal that despite of Marara’s wealth, allegedly ill-gotten from shoddy deals- that went through the courts, he insisted that he was still a council employee with lucrative benefits.

In his defense, Marara decided to plead the fifth and based his line of argument on the confidentiality clause between employer and employee.

“Surely the issue of my employment is between me and my employer. Why should someone at my workplace want this matter to be dealt with in the public domain? That is unethical,” Marara was quoted as saying soon after his dramatic comeback.

At the time of writing, HCC communications and public relations director Stanley Gama could not be immediately reached for comment on the ‘disappearance’ of Marara’s resignation letter and reports that he has been receiving salary and benefits during his alleged “retirement phase”.

However, our publication has it on good authority that Marara was on payroll since his alleged retirement two years ago.

When Marara allegedly resigned, he was the city’s acting housing and human resources director and faced corruption allegations over the illegal creation and sale of 150 stands in Kuwadzana, prejudicing the city council of at least US$1,1 million.

Marara could not be reached for comment as his number was unavailable throughout the week with inside sources saying he was out of town on personal business where he has interest in mining and agriculture.
Efforts to physically track him down for his right to respond at Town House during a special council meeting held early this week also hit a snag.

“Marara’s resignation letter miraculously went missing at the Human Resources department , there is no soft copy and paper trail of his resignation because the former soldier has a strong financial stamina and links with top soldiers who are his former colleagues.

“In fact all the suspended bosses who were hauled before the courts were reinstated and regrouped but however factionalism between the returnees is an open secret.

“Look at what they did to Tongoona who was on the security department, they promoted him but it’s a sham and way of emasculating him (ceremonial position)because he is the one who testified against most of them in their fraud cases that went before the courts,”said our highly placed source who preferred anonymity.

Meanwhile, Harare elected a new mayor Lovejoy Chitengu who garnered 35 votes and replaced Ian Makone who was recalled in the ‘bloodbath’ by self proclaimed interim secretary general Sengezo Tshabangu.