Mafume found guilty of lying under oath; US$270k property unearthed; journalists paid US$200 to conceal publicity
By Staff Reporter
DRAMA evolving around the embattled Harare City Council Mayor continues to unfold , following His Worship Jacob Mafume’s recent ruling by the Commission of Inquiry after finding him guilty of lying under oath.
The capital city’s mayor made headlines Wednesday after misleading the Commission of Inquiry by showing them a vacant residential stand which he claimed to be his place of residence.
In passing verdict , Justice Cheda stated, “The property is an undeveloped stand with a small temporary office used by Mr. Pfukwa for his auction business. Mr. Jacob Mafume does not reside in the property, as he confirmed. The evidence he gave about his residence was misleading.”
Mafume acknowledged understanding the ruling.
It was later discovered that Mafume owns a house at number 102 Coronation Road, just a few meters away from the address he provided.
An investigation revealed that the house was purchased in December 2024 for USD270,000, allegedly using proceeds from a USD250,000 kickback received from an enterprise resource planning (ERP) tender.
The commission of inquiry will continue tomorrow, with Mafume as the key witness.
Allegations suggest Mafume has additional secrets that will be exposed during the inquiry.
Mafume is currently building 60 cluster houses in Belvedere, near Harare Institute of Technology (HIT), intending to rent rooms to HIT students. The source of funding for the project is unknown.
Ironically, the construction site is near properties recently demolished by the city council due to lack of proper documentation. Mafume’s property has not been regularized either.
A source close to the matter stated, “His Belvedere property is not yet regularized, and he has been pushing for its regularization. The land falls under the same area where over 30 houses were demolished, but his was spared because he’s the Mayor of Harare.”
Mafume is also pushing for his company to be awarded a USD200 million tender to build a 50 Megawatt Solar Power Farm. However, a feasibility study revealed the company can only handle 1 Megawatt.
To manage these corrupt activities, Mafume allegedly bribed journalists with amounts ranging from $200 to $400 to conceal the stories. Some of these journalists are from state media; a ZBC reporter reportedly received $200 on Tuesday
