HCC shortlists sacked Zimra boss for town clerk post

By Helen Kadirire

The Harare City Council has shortlisted a man fired from State tax agency Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) over a $300 000 import scam for the town clerk position. Sacked former Zimra finance director Robert Mangwiro has been shortlisted for the top post together with acting town clerk Hosea Chisango.

Mangwiro was interviewed for the post last week Thursday.

Reached for comment, the deputy mayor, Enock Mupamawonde could neither confirm nor deny that he had been shortlisted.

“Maybe Wednesday or Thursday I can confirm the correct position of council.

“For now I cannot speculate and give you the wrong information on who the three successful candidates are,” Mupamawonde said.

Mayor Bernard Manyenyeni also expressed ignorance on the matter saying that he was not part of the interviewing panel.

“If it is true that Mangwiro is part of the shortlisted three candidates, surely I would have picked it up during the interviews.

“However, the resolution on who was to conduct the interviews was passed and it did not include me,” Manyenyeni said.

Mangwiro was dismissed from Zimra together with Gershem Pasi after a vehicle import scam amounting to more than $300 000 was unearthed.

An internal disciplinary and grievance committee which was set up found Mangwiro guilty of 21 of the 33 counts of misconduct he was being accused of.

Mangwiro has since approached the Labour Court challenging his dismissal from Zimra arguing that the Tribunal erred in finding him guilty of offences that were not committed in his office.

The position of town clerk has been vacant since 2015 after Tendai Mahachi resigned following mounting pressure from councillors and residents.

In 2016, council appointed former banker James Mushore to the position but he was suspended by former Local Government minister Saviour Kasukuwere over procedural irregularities in his appointment.

Following his suspension, Mushore approached the Labour Court for recourse into the matter which is yet to be determined.

Last year, three candidates, Tapiwa Mashakada, Elizabeth Gwatipedza and Cainos Chingombe were shortlisted for the position, however, the Local Government Board (LGB) rejected them, prompting council to restart the search.

In rejecting the trio, the LGB said Mashakada was an active MDC politician, Chingombe was supposed to focus on his current position of human resources director while Gwatipedza had just started work at Gweru City Council as the new town clerk. DailyNews