By Pieter Ziegler
In 2018 President Mnangagwa established the Special Anti-Corruption Commission (SACU) headed by Thabani Mpofu.
The justification was that it would add to and collaborate with Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) and the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) to fight corruption.
However, it was a no brainer.
The entity possessed nothing special to add value to the two already existing anti-corruption institutions.
It was special in name only!
Critics argued that it was merely a personal legal army for the new President to hunt supposed enemies.
Facts on the ground supported that argument.
By 2021, SACU had received 44 cases with 67 people, mostly public officials, having been arrested.
Out of the 44 cases it had only completed one graft case!
When Mpofu’s SACU ultimately shut down, no-one mourned the clearly weaponised entity.
The Return of the Hatchet Man
However, 3 years on Mpofu has emerged again as the lawyer leading evidence in the Harare Commission investigations.
His new position and performance in cross-examining witnesses have reignited the scope of the defunct SACU.
Here is another hatchet job with a hidden agenda!
The performance has been a public dissection of internal Council activities with a clear objective to shock and awe.
The clearly agenda setting enterprise is slowly numbing the public to any future garrote for Councillors.
Most of the senior Council officials who have appeared before have supplied disturbing information.
Most shocking has been revelations that Council spent over US$11 million on workshops between January and July 2024.
Out of the total 2024 budget of US$578 million that is over 5%.
At that pace it means Council will send over 10% of the budget on workshops by year end.
While all things are possible, still the figures boggle the mind.
Disputed Facts
Rightly so, Mayor Jacob Mafume has disputed their factuality.
“This country has a curse on it.Who benefits from such lies.
“The figures are thrown about like confetti at a wedding.
“We do not have that much money as a council in the first place.
Mafume accused the Thabani Mpofu team of throwing questions and then reporting them as facts.
“Its not feasible nor practical.
“The Financial Director is the person to give correct figures.
“He sent a schedule which we have, how that translates to those figures is beyond malice!
Mafume’s question of who benefits from such lies is an intelligent avenue of introspection.
The answer can be found from listening to Council officials responding to Thabani Mpofu during the hearings.
Who Benefits From Nudity?
The abiding motif from their presentations has been the sold image of a hawkish group of Councillors.
From Acting Director of Finance Kusangaya, Director of Housing Nhekairo to Town Clerk Chisango they have all painted an image of corrupt Councillors.
Mpofu has expertly and delicately led them to disembowel the Councillors as a dangerous group out for self-aggrandizement.
The ultimate goal, with all tendrils spilled and publicly bared, is to crucify the politicians.
Sensing this, former Councillor and MP Rusty Markham, has a thrift response to Permanent Secretary Nick Mangwana.
“Stop talking, audit and then enforce the law.
“The audit must include Councillors and staff who attended grades 1 to 4”.
However, the schemers don’t want that sanitised asphalt path and the attendant opportunities for defence and rebuts.
They want the obscene route, dragging the whole Council shebang into public so that when the crucifixion begins, no one will lament!
