By Municipal Reporter-Former Harare Mayor Ben Manyenyeni has revealed that he survived multiple assassination attempts during his tenure due to his anti-corruption campaign at Town House.
Manyenyeni, who served as mayor from 2013 to 2018, said he deliberately avoided eating or drinking at Town House, fearing poisoning after spearheading efforts to slash exorbitant salaries and perks enjoyed by senior city executives.
At the height of his reforms, then-Town Clerk Tendai Mahachi was reportedly earning over US$30,000 per month, while seven other top managers each took home around US$20,000.
Manyenyeni’s campaign to bring these salaries down to “sane levels” faced fierce resistance, making him a target.
“I am quite dismayed that some of the painful successes we achieved have not only been undone but have actuallyworsened,” he told the state media in a recent interview. “We avoided tea and meals at Town House to preserve our lives after making tough decisions.”
During his tenure, Manyenyeni managed to cut the Town Clerk’s salary and allowances from US$21,000 to under US$11,000 per month through negotiations with the Ministry of Local Government.
However, he expressed concern that executive salaries have since returned to opaque and excessive levels.
His revelations come amid growing concerns over governance and transparency at Town House.
Testimonies presented to the Justice Cheda-led Commission of Inquiry into Harare’s governance since 2017 indicate that city executives are once again earning inflated salaries while service delivery deteriorates.
The commission heard that current Town Clerk Engineer Hosiah Chisango takes home nearly US$30,000 per month, including various perks such as holiday allowances.
Other senior managers reportedly earn similarly high salaries, with the least-paid executive receiving US$15,000 per month.
The council is allegedly spending about US$500,000 monthly on executive salaries, none of which have been approved by the Local Government Board.
Harare Mayor Councillor Jacob Mafume also testified before the commission, exposing reckless spending at Town House.
He revealed that city directors, who “have no payslips,” spent US$124,000 on foreign trips last year, in addition to US$1 million on luxury vehicles during the 2023 election period.
He further alleged that Town Clerk Chisango was allocated US$18,000 for a trip to Dubai, while another director, Engineer Isaac Chawatama, received US$15,000.
Mafume recounted an incident where he requested a salary report from the human resources director, who initially refused, citing instructions from the town clerk.
“He then showed me the document in confidence, and from what I saw, the highest-paid executive is receiving US$27,000, while the lowest is earning US$15,000,” Mafume said.
The mayor described the relationship between his office and the city executives as fractured, largely due to his attempts to assert oversight.
He noted that the executive payroll remains unapproved by the Local Government Board and the parent ministry.
“I was just shown the salaries, and there are no payslips,” he said. “Executive salaries take US$500,000 monthly, and none of them are approved.”