Zimpapers Logo

Trust Freddy

Herald Correspondent

The Harare City Council has been implicated in a cattle looting scandal, with allegations suggesting that approximately 100 herds of cattle are being illicitly removed from the city’s paddocks every month.

This came out on Thursday during the ongoing public hearings where the suspended City’s town clerk Eng Hosiah Chisango appeared before the commission.

Mr Thabani Mpofu, who is leading evidence from witnesses appearing before the commission, questioned Eng Chisango about the alleged looting of cattle from one of its farms which normally have an average of 3000 herds.

“The information that we received is that of those 3 000 cattle that you have, over 100 cattle are said to die every month and the allegation is that these cattle are being looted,” he said.

“In order to account for them, you then, as council, report that over 100 have died every month, over 100 cattle died of natural causes,” Mr Thabani said.

However, Engineer Chisango clarified that the project in question was not primarily a cattle ranching venture, but rather a sewage treatment and effluent management system where cattle were introduced.

He also cited the absence of expert care for the cattle as another reason for the alleged mysterious disappearance of cattle.

“I have not seen the report, but my thoughts on the situation are that, as a council, we focus more on wastewater management,” said Eng Chisango.

“That is why we wanted to explore it as a business opportunity, allowing us to bring in experts to properly care for the animals.”

However, Engineer Chisango admitted that there were no robust accounting systems for the cattle, as the council is primarily focused on wastewater management.

Mr Mpofu submitted before the commission that the farm had become a “looting paradise” for city officials.