The Commission of Inquiry into governance issues at the Harare City Council has uncovered deep-seated corruption at Town House, revealing that the failure to implement an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system was a deliberate act by key decision-makers to bypass financial regulations for personal gain.

In its findings released on Tuesday, the commission highlighted that the absence of a functional ERP system, which is crucial for transparent financial management, was not due to incompetence or oversight.

Instead, it was a calculated move by influential figures within the council to obscure financial transactions, making it impossible to quantify the losses incurred by the city.

"This is some of the interference that has been happening as the Mayor went to have a meeting with the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ) in my absence, and this is not proper in terms of the Public Entities Corporate Governance Act," said Chisango.

The inquiry also delved into other procedural lapses, including the management, sale, lease, or transfer of council properties to private entities, which have been conducted without adherence to proper procedures.

This failure has further fueled concerns of widespread corruption within the city's administration.

Precious Shumba, director of the Harare Residents Trust, emphasized the frustrations of the city's residents.

"Residents, in their diversity, have been crying out for attention to their priorities from ward councillors, district officers, revenue officers, middle managers, and directors, without much success," Shumba said.

He added "The Commission of Inquiry, therefore, becomes an ideal platform for venting and sharing substantive issues that have been abandoned or neglected."