COH torn over accounting system

Jacob Mafume Elected Harare Mayor | 263Chat — **Jacob Mafume**

Zim Now Writer

Tensions are simmering within the Harare City Council as some officials are pushing for a South African company, Munsoft, to supply new software at US$57 million for five years, while others want to revert to the BIQ system, which costs US$75 000 monthly.

The divisions come after the council has been failing to properly account for its revenues over the past four years due to a manual accounting system inclined to human error and manipulation.

In 2019, the local authority parted ways with service provider Quill Associates, whose BIQ system had been in use for over a decade.

Last month, Harare City Council’s IT manager Mr Samson Madzokere was suspended over controversies surrounding the proposed procurement of the new software.

Council decided to ditch the BIQ software system ostensibly because it was failing to support other automated modules in revenue collection.

After abandoning BIQ, council adopted another software system called SAGE, which, however, was not fit for purpose.

The Auditor-General, Mrs Mildred Chiri, recommended that the council revert to the BIQ system.

Harare mayor Jacob Mafume confirmed that part of management at Town House was pushing for the US$57 million Munsoft deal.

According to mayor Mafume, after the local authority decided against the Munsoft deal, some council managers went to negotiate the deal downwards to US$47 million, which raised eyebrows.

“IT people said we could do a supplementary budget and that would mean residents would fork out over US$10 million per year for the software. We said, as council, we do not have that kind of money.

“What kind of tendering is that? What about others who had tendered?

‘‘Why are you not opening envelopes of the other four applicants to compare and contrast The Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe agreed with the council to cancel that tender process, and the committee chaired by the Attorney-General also agreed to the same.

“Money can be diverted to other people’s accounts, bills altered and money can be erased from the manual system because it is prone to abuse.

“We believe that their refusal to allow for quick engagement of the previous contractor is simply because they want the lacuna gap to continue. Since 2019 up to now, we have a dysfunctional system and millions of dollars may have gone into a financial black hole,” he said.

Bulawayo City Council and the Zimbabwe National Water Authority are reportedly some of the institutions currently using the BIQ system.

Zimbabwe National Organisation of Associations and Residents Trusts chairperson Mr Shepherd Chikomba said they have since written to the Minister of Local Government and Public Works to flag the accounting system at Town House.