Cosmas Zvikaramba

Events

In May 2010, Cosmas Zvikaramba tendered his resignation from the CoH. This followed his name coming up in police investigation following a fraud investigation report by acting mayor Charity Bango. CoH employees Cosmas Zvikaramba and Psychology Chiwanga (director of urban planning) allegedly connived to sell Chiyangwa Odar Farm to Philip Chiyangwa on September 2, 2009. A CoH committee has recommended that Philip Chiyangwa and Ignatius Chombo be arrested for irregularly acquiring land in the capital. ^[1]

In October 2013, CoH fired seven employees and another was arrested for manipulating the city’s billing system to steal from ratepayers. They where from the revenue and central accounts department, said council’s business development director Cosmas Zvikaramba. ^[2]

The 2014 forced retirement of six CoH employees has been challenged in court, with Justice Rita Makarau sitting with Ben Hlatshwayo and Bharat Patel setting aside the retirements. Others who may now claim wrongful dismissal and payments include former business development manager Cosmas Zvikaramba, housing and community services manager Justine Chivavaya, Urban planning services manager Psychology Chiwanga, Stanley Mungofa (health) and director amenities Dombo Chibanda. ^[3]

The CoH ‘retirement’ legal mistake will cost millions in compensation. Council laid off the six through retrenchment in 2014 arguing that it would save US$2 million monthly from the exercise. However, the superior court ruled that the statutory instrument applied by council to reduce the retirement age from 65 to 60 did not apply to senior managers from grade one to grade four, hence the retirement was illegal.

The six — treasurer Misheck Mubvumbi, business development manager Cosmas Zvikaramba, housing and community services manager Justine Chivavaya, Urban planning services manager Psychology Chiwanga, Stanley Mungofa (health) and director amenities Dombo Chibanda — were forced to leave employment before reaching their retirement age of 65. ^[4]

An audit in 2016, of CoH’s payroll and employment costs revealed that performance bonuses and retrenchment packages had been overpaid by more than $1, 6 million. At a time when five months’ salary backlog was owed, mainly to lower paid staff. For example, in a letter to the CoH by Local Government ministry secretary George Mlilo, it was put that former town clerk, Tendai Mahachi, was overpaid by $67 900 in performance bonuses between 2013 and 2014.

Mlilo also put it that CoH paid unbudgeted retrenchment packages to ten executive members amounting to $6 251 million. Of the 10 executives who received retrenchment packages, nine were overpaid and they included former housing director Justine Chivavaya, former finance director Cosmas Zvikaramba and ex-urban planning director Psychology Chiwanga – who each received more than $200 000. ^[5]