City Of Harare Official Who Created US$12,000 Per Month Job And Gave It To Himself Finally Fired

City Of Harare Official Promotes Himself To Not Existing Post Paying US$12 000 Per Month

Harare – A senior Harare City Council official who simply created a job for himself, paying a massive US$12,000 per month and then pocketing the cash, has finally been shown the door.

Mathew Marara has been dismissed following a disciplinary hearing that found him guilty of multiple offences, including unlawfully promoting himself to a non-existent executive assistant to the town clerk position. The termination, effective from November 24, 2025, was confirmed in a letter signed by acting town clerk Phakamile Mabhena on March 11, 2026. Marara had previously been suspended.

But here is the kicker – despite being suspended, Marara walked away with a massive payday for doing absolutely nothing.

Suspended And Paid: The Six-Figure Payout For Sitting At Home

The commission of inquiry heard that Marara negotiated a compensation package for the period of his suspension. Initially, reports circulated that he had received a staggering US$320,000 in back pay. However, during his testimony before the Justice Maphios Cheda-led commission in January 2025, Marara gave a different figure.

Marara told the commission that a negotiating committee had agreed to a figure of US$131,000 (approx. R2.36 million) and that he had so far received US$116,000 (approx. R2.09 million). He also stated that he was originally claiming US$320,000, dating back to his 2020 suspension.

“I am claiming US$320,000 but what was agreed was US$131,000. I am claiming the whole amount from the time I was suspended in 2020. When I went to the negotiating committee, they offered US$81,000 and I rejected it, then we settled at US$131,000,” Marara told the commission.

The compensation was negotiated with a panel comprising four councillors and an external legal consultant, all appointed by the Mayor. The panel included Councillors Kadzombe, Mapanzure, Ngadziore, and Chakeredza, along with legal practitioner Zinhemha.

So while Harare residents have no clean water and walk on sewage, Marara sat at home – by his own account – collecting a six-figure sum of ratepayers’ money for doing nothing.

The Salary That Shocked A Nation

While Harare residents struggle with burst sewage pipes and no clean drinking water, Marara was laughing all the way to the bank. Testifying before the commission, Marara confirmed his eye-watering monthly package.

“My salary is currently US$12,000 paid at interbank rate. It is inclusive of salary, allowances, motor benefits because I use my own vehicle,” Marara told the commission.

To put that into perspective, investigative journalist Hopewell Chin’ono pointed out that this exceeds what several European presidents earn annually. The President of Portugal takes home approximately US$108,400 per year, while Marara was pocketing US$144,000 annually.

The Perks That Piled Up

The commission heard shocking details about the lavish benefits Marara received. The list of perks he enjoyed includes:

US$8,000 (approx. R144,000) for electronic gadgets including laptop, cell phone and iPad
US$3,256 (approx. R58,600) for newspaper subscriptions
US$3,700 (approx. R66,600) laptop allowance
US$2,550 (approx. R45,900) cell phone allowance
US$1,920 (approx. R34,560) iPad allowance
Motor benefits for using a personal vehicle
Housing allowance
Education allowance for children’s schooling
Entertainment allowance
Medical aid coverage
Representation allowance
Airtime allowance
Golf benefits
Driver allowance
Security benefits

Marara was first suspended in 2020 alongside other officials during his tenure as housing director. Despite this, he continued drawing his salary and perks. He later returned to council years after his retirement and promoted himself to executive assistant in the town clerk’s office, where he received the inflated package.

The disciplinary board found him guilty of being absent from work for more than five working days without leave after he stopped reporting for duty in early November 2024. He was also found to have facilitated the unauthorised appointment of three senior employees, including himself, resulting in the group receiving unauthorised benefits totalling ZiG 4,111,168.88 and US$18,362.05.

The council has indicated it will process and pay his terminal benefits, meaning Marara could still be in line for yet another payout despite being fired for corruption.