Mafume sucked in ‘beer hall grabbing’ row

Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume and two Rufaro Marketing Private Limited directors have been implicated in cases in which they are involved in rampant corruption and abuse of office within the Harare City Council and plundering thousands of US dollars every month, the Commission of Inquiry heard yesterday.

The other two directors are Juma Ulete and Ngoni Chimbalu, who are both accused of taking rentals from tenants at some of Rufaro Marketing properties and converting them into their own use.

Rufaro Marketing was set up by the council to take over the former municipal liquor department for high-density suburbs and owns and runs 86 beerhalls and other liquor outlets

This comes after the Harare City Council, its accounting systems and financial affairs are the subject of a Commission of Inquiry appointed in May by President Mnangagwa under the chairmanship of retired judge Justice Maphios Cheda.

The setting up of the commission, its terms of reference and the membership were announced in Proclamation 2 of 2024, Commission of Inquiry into the Matter of Local Governance by Harare City Council since 2017, gazetted yesterday as Statutory Instrument 91 of 2024.

The Commission of Inquiry Act allows the President to set up a commission, to inquire into any matter in which any inquiry would, in the opinion of the President, be for public welfare. It has six months from May to complete its work, although it may request another three months if necessary.

The commission also includes local governance experts Steven Chakaipa, Norbert Phiri, Lucia Gladys Matibenga and Khonzani Ncube.

The Permanent Secretary for Local Government and Public Works, Dr John Bhasera, will be its secretary.

Yesterday, a general manager of a local company, Kandrick Investments, Mrs Rosemary Togarepi appeared before the commission where she implicated Mayor Mafume and the two directors.

The company is leasing two Rufaro Marketing beer outlets in Mbare and Machipisa and they have been in dispute over the two properties.

Speaking during a cross-examination by Mr Thabani Mpofu, Mrs Togarepi said since 2022 they developed the two properties by constructing buildings and tuckshops that were occupied by tenants.

She narrated that they took over from TN Holdings and later signed lease agreements with the city council sometime in 2022.

“When we signed the lease agreements, Rufaro Marketing agreed to charge us US$3 500 in rentals per property per month. The dispute with Rufaro Marketing started when we made developments at these two properties.

“At first we were approached by a councillor known as Makuwere of Highfield who raised various issues relating to the developments we had made.”

She said Cllr Makuwere later alleged that Cllr Mafume had sent him to inform them that no development be made at the beer outlet in Machipisa since they wanted to let it out to the Judicial Service Commission.

“He also said that Mayor Mafume was willing to talk to us and also expected a stake within our company. We did not bow down to the demands as we were doing everything above board. However, between May and October 2022, we received a notice from the Department of Works saying that we were illegally occupying council land. We then approached the High Court to seek an interdict to stop the council from interfering with our work and it was granted,” Mrs Togarepi said.

A few days later, the two directors Messrs Ulete and Chimbalu visited our premises and advised the tenants that they should stop making any payments to us, but to themselves.

Messrs Ulete and Chimbalu further alleged that they had been appointed by Cllr Mafume to deal with businesspeople who had no lease agreements and were collecting rentals from the tenants.

They are also being implicated for also collecting rentals from other tenants in and around Harare. More witnesses are also expected to testify on these cases before the commission.
Source:The Herald