HARARE City Council (HCC) engineer Simon Muserere is being fingered in a R10 million corruption scandal after he allegedly recommended that a company in which his relative is a director should be awarded a contract.
Muserere is currently under suspension from work after he allegedly went “absent without leave” from work for almost the whole of last year.
The company, Showbyte Engineering (Pvt) Ltd, allegedly got the contract to upgrade and rehabilitate Highlands outfall sewer.
There are allegations that the engineering company, formed in 2008, only got its first meaningful contract following the alleged corrupt intervention of Muserere.
Zim Morning Post is in possession of papers which show that Muserere’s alleged relative, Sarapio Muranga, only got grafted into the company’s register (CR14) reportedly to facilitate the sharing of proceeds from the council’s water works contract in Highlands.
From the papers in possession of this publication, there is suspicion that one founding director of Showbyte Engineering (Cathrine Mahenga) resigned from the company to pave way for the alleged relative, Muranga.
Sources close to the 2011 Highlands sewer deal told Zim Morning Post that Muserere allegedly used his influence as Harare town engineer and money to sway then councillors to vote in favour of Showbyte (Pvt) Ltd during the process to select the more suitable candidate for the Highlands sewer project.
“I was very close to this particular project.
“I understand that money clandestinely changed hands to ensure that Showbyte got the tender,” said the Zim Morning Post on condition that his name was not mentioned.
Other engineering companies that were more qualified to get the bye for the Highlands project by reason of their seniority and experience include Kinsey, R Davis as well as Murray and Roberts.
The same company was also awarded another tender for Magariro Housing Cooperative outfall sewer by Muserere.
This is not the first time Muserere has been accused of impropriety.
In 2009/2010, the suspended Muserere was taken to court for inflating equipment and plant hire costs on the rehabilitation of Firle and Criwborough Sewage Treatment Works through engagement of Martin Millers and Drawcard as contractors on biological filter rehabilitation and desludging of civil structures.
In years following, that is, 2016 to 2019, Muserere was also involved in other corruption cases and that although he was acquitted, documents in Zim Morning Post’s possession indicate that the High Court judgment was scathing in its ruling, referring to Muserere as “not transparent and credible”. – Zim Morning Post