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Innocent Ruwende Senior Reporter

Harare City Council has suspended a senior architect after he allegedly failed to draw plans for the proposed transformation of Harare’s First Street into a world class technology street.

The development in question will see Econet Wireless deploying, among others, smart digital information booths allowing citizens to directly interact with city authorities, camera systems to monitor public transport systems and a modern police post with all the necessary digital surveillance systems in partnership with the city.

Mr Philip Mucheri is alleged to have outsourced the job and council paid the architect who drew the plans for the multimillion-dollar project, raising the ire of his boss and works director Engineer Zvenyika Chawatama, who wrote him a suspension letter.

“You are hereby advised of your suspension from employment with full salary and benefits with effect from November 20, 2018,” reads the letter.

“Your suspension is meant to facilitate the process of determining whether or not disciplinary action should be preferred against you in line with Section 6(1) of Labour (National Employment Code of Conduct Regulations, Statutory Instrument 15 of 2006) and to facilitate the disciplinary hearing itself should the determination be that you face disciplinary action.”

Eng Chawatama said the suspension followed serious allegations that Mucheri had breached Section 4 (f) of the code, which deals with gross incompetence or inefficiency in the performance of one’s work.

“Please be advised that you will be formally notified of the outcome once the above process is completed,” he wrote. “Also, take note that your suspension with pay and benefits shall be for a period not exceeding 14 days in line with the provisions of the code.”

Mucheri was advised against interfering with the processes by visiting his workplace or council premises unless advised in writing or otherwise by council management. The development comes as Harare Mayor Councillor Herbert Gomba has vowed to deal with employees who stifle progress and development of the city.

“We have seen a lot of employees who instead of implementing council business, start telling you that they were here before Independence or when the walls were still wet from fresh paint,” he said.

“This is the culture that we want to get rid of and, therefore, I have already talked with the finance and human capital directors to set aside money so that in the event that a council employee no longer fits in the direction that the city wants to go, we can give them their money and they can go where they can work as they want.”

Cllr Gomba said the city will no longer tolerate laziness and lax behaviour at the expense of ratepayers.