HARARE — In what observers are calling a startling shift of allegiance, Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume, once a prominent opposition figure, is now accused of aligning himself with President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s inner circle — a network critics derisively call zviGananda, symbolising the murky intersection of politics, business, and patronage in Zimbabwe’s corridors of power.

Mafume, who leads the opposition-controlled Harare City Council, has publicly declared there is “no apology” for collaborating with the central government — a position he defended as pragmatic and aimed at improving service delivery. However, growing evidence suggests that this newfound cooperation has opened the floodgates for political interference, corruption, and state capture within City Hall.

The Mayor’s close relationship with Mnangagwa’s allies reportedly stems from family ties linking him to the influential Chief Fortune Charumbira, the President of the National Council of Chiefs and a staunch Zanu PF loyalist. Priscillah Charumbira, Chief Charumbira’s wife and the Harare City Council’s Director of Planning, is also the sister of Mafume’s late mother.

These connections have allegedly given Mnangagwa and his political network access to key City Council processes, particularly lucrative infrastructure and land development deals. Sources within Town House allege that the President’s allies are “milking” the municipality through inflated tenders and opaque Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) contracts, notably the controversial rollout of prepaid water meters.

The deal, spearheaded by Helcraw Electrical and Hangzhou Liaison Technology Company, involves the installation of 600,000 prepaid meters across five major cities. On Monday, Helcraw Electrical handed over 16 vehicles to the City of Harare to facilitate the project — six double-cab and ten single-cab trucks.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mafume praised the partnership, framing it as a milestone in service delivery:

“We make no apology for working with the central government. We were elected to deliver results, not to oppose for the sake of opposition,” he said.

He added that political cooperation was necessary to improve the lives of residents:

“Sewage smells just as bad to an opposition person. Water tastes as good to a Zanu PF person as it does to someone in the opposition. A road does not ask for your party card before it damages your car.”

Yet, beneath the rhetoric of unity and development lies a deeper concern over corruption in the Council’s leadership. Multiple reports of a series of scandals — including alleged land parcel manipulations, parking revenue misappropriation, and the misuse of council vehicles and fuel allocations.

In 2021, Mafume was arrested on charges of criminal abuse of office relating to the illegal allocation of residential stands. Though he later regained his post, critics argue that his latest turn toward the ruling elite is a calculated attempt to shield himself from further prosecution and consolidate influence within Mnangagwa’s expanding patronage system.

Civil society watchdogs warn that this alliance is a symptom of a wider erosion of accountability in local governance. “The City of Harare has effectively become an extension of the ruling party’s financial machinery,” said an urban governance analyst who requested anonymity. “The so-called cooperation is not about improving services — it’s about looting under the guise of partnership.”

Residents’ associations have also criticised the prepaid water meter project, accusing City Hall of prioritising revenue collection over access to affordable water.

“It’s a tragedy that the Mayor is more interested in photo opportunities with Zanu PF ministers than addressing raw sewage in Mbare or water shortages in Kuwadzana,” said the Combined Harare Residents Association in a statement.

As Mnangagwa’s government continues to consolidate power ahead of the 2028 elections, Mafume’s alignment with the ruling establishment signals the weakening of the opposition’s influence at the local level — and raises questions about the cost of political survival in a state where loyalty often trumps integrity.

By The Zimbabwe Mail Investigations Desk

The post Mafume is now a fully-fledged chiGananda first appeared on The Zimbabwe Mail.

HARARE — In what observers are calling a startling shift of allegiance, Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume, once a prominent opposition figure, is now accused of aligning himself with President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s inner circle — a network critics derisively call zviGananda, symbolising the murky intersection of politics, business, and patronage in Zimbabwe’s corridors of power.

Mafume, who leads the opposition-controlled Harare City Council, has publicly declared there is “no apology” for collaborating with the central government — a position he defended as pragmatic and aimed at improving service delivery. However, growing evidence suggests that this newfound cooperation has opened the floodgates for political interference, corruption, and state capture within City Hall.

The Mayor’s close relationship with Mnangagwa’s allies reportedly stems from family ties linking him to the influential Chief Fortune Charumbira, the President of the National Council of Chiefs and a staunch Zanu PF loyalist. Priscillah Charumbira, Chief Charumbira’s wife and the Harare City Council’s Director of Planning, is also the sister of Mafume’s late mother.

These connections have allegedly given Mnangagwa and his political network access to key City Council processes, particularly lucrative infrastructure and land development deals. Sources within Town House allege that the President’s allies are “milking” the municipality through inflated tenders and opaque Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) contracts, notably the controversial rollout of prepaid water meters.

The deal, spearheaded by Helcraw Electrical and Hangzhou Liaison Technology Company, involves the installation of 600,000 prepaid meters across five major cities. On Monday, Helcraw Electrical handed over 16 vehicles to the City of Harare to facilitate the project — six double-cab and ten single-cab trucks.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mafume praised the partnership, framing it as a milestone in service delivery:

“We make no apology for working with the central government. We were elected to deliver results, not to oppose for the sake of opposition,” he said.

He added that political cooperation was necessary to improve the lives of residents:

“Sewage smells just as bad to an opposition person. Water tastes as good to a Zanu PF person as it does to someone in the opposition. A road does not ask for your party card before it damages your car.”

Yet, beneath the rhetoric of unity and development lies a deeper concern over corruption in the Council’s leadership. Multiple reports of a series of scandals — including alleged land parcel manipulations, parking revenue misappropriation, and the misuse of council vehicles and fuel allocations.

In 2021, Mafume was arrested on charges of criminal abuse of office relating to the illegal allocation of residential stands. Though he later regained his post, critics argue that his latest turn toward the ruling elite is a calculated attempt to shield himself from further prosecution and consolidate influence within Mnangagwa’s expanding patronage system.

Civil society watchdogs warn that this alliance is a symptom of a wider erosion of accountability in local governance. “The City of Harare has effectively become an extension of the ruling party’s financial machinery,” said an urban governance analyst who requested anonymity. “The so-called cooperation is not about improving services — it’s about looting under the guise of partnership.”

Residents’ associations have also criticised the prepaid water meter project, accusing City Hall of prioritising revenue collection over access to affordable water.

“It’s a tragedy that the Mayor is more interested in photo opportunities with Zanu PF ministers than addressing raw sewage in Mbare or water shortages in Kuwadzana,” said the Combined Harare Residents Association in a statement.

As Mnangagwa’s government continues to consolidate power ahead of the 2028 elections, Mafume’s alignment with the ruling establishment signals the weakening of the opposition’s influence at the local level — and raises questions about the cost of political survival in a state where loyalty often trumps integrity.

By The Zimbabwe Mail Investigations Desk

The post Mafume is now a fully-fledged chiGananda first appeared on The Zimbabwe Mail.