Harare – The US$9.2 million streetlight tender scandal continues to cast a long shadow over Harare, with the arrest of Town Clerk Hosea Chisango shaking the city’s corridors of power.
Chisango, the latest high-profile figure to be ensnared in the alleged corruption, was apprehended yesterday by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) and is expected to appear in court today.
This arrest follows the arrest of four senior City of Harare officials two weeks ago: Never Murerwa, Jabulani Mukomazi, Denford Zhungu, and Tawanda Mutenhabudo. These individuals, who held key positions within the Procurement Management Unit and the tender evaluation committee, have been remanded in custody, facing allegations of illegally awarding the lucrative streetlight tender to businessman Moses Mpofu’s company, Juluka Ennd Joint Venture.
The scandal revolves around a tender for the rehabilitation of street lighting along Harare’s roads, a project undertaken in preparation for the upcoming 44th Southern African Development Committee (SADC) summit scheduled for August in the capital. The tender, advertised in the Government Gazette in March, attracted bids from eleven companies, including Juluka.
According to the state’s case, Juluka was initially disqualified for failing to meet the tender requirements. However, the four arrested officials, acting in collusion, allegedly disregarded the procurement regulations and awarded the remaining two lots of the tender to Juluka, despite the company’s history of failing to deliver on previous contracts.
The evidence suggests that Mpofu’s company, Synlak (Pvt) Ltd, had been awarded a tender for a biogas digester in 2019 but failed to deliver on its obligations. This raises serious questions about the integrity of the procurement process and the City of Harare’s decision to award Juluka a significant portion of the streetlight tender.
The arrest of the Town Clerk, who ultimately oversees the city’s operations, highlights the deep-seated corruption that has plagued the city’s administration for years, with allegations of tender manipulation and abuse of power becoming increasingly common.
The ZACC’s statement, confirming Chisango’s arrest, alleges that he “acted in connivance with four other officials” to award the tender to Juluka without following proper procedures. This suggests a coordinated effort to circumvent the procurement process and enrich themselves at the expense of the city’s taxpayers.
The arrest of Chisango and the ongoing legal proceedings against the other officials have raised concerns about the City of Harare’s ability to effectively manage its resources and deliver essential services to its residents.
