Harare Mayor and Ex-MP Arrested in Corruption Probe as ZACC Swoops

Harare’s mayor, Jacob Mafume and former Harare South MP Shadreck Mashayamombe have been arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC).

Circumstances surrounding their arrest are still unclear with ZACC yet to release formal details of the charges they face.

However, their detention marks one of the most high-profile actions taken by the anti-graft body this year.

Mafume, a key player in Harare’s municipal administration has been at the centre of several political and governance disputes involving the capital’s troubled city council.

Anti-corruption arrests have often drawn intense public attention particularly in local government where allegations of corruption, land deals and procurement irregularities have long plagued city councils.

Harare has in recent years been under scrutiny from both government and the public over poor service delivery, mounting debt and repeated claims of mismanagement and graft.

The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission has not yet said when the two men are expected to appear in court or what specific allegations prompted their arrest.