Mahachi: Harare’s favourite villain
ON JUNE 30, 2015, Harare town clerk Dr Tendai Mahachi pulled out of Town House in his glimmering black SUV, turning his back on the capital’s administrative hub for the last time.
He was heading home — reluctantly. Sent on forced leave for defying an order for all city and town bosses to cut their salaries, his time was up.
His monthly salary was a mouthwatering US$21 000 and the directive would have left him US$11 000 “poorer”.
Seven weeks later, he demanded cash and perks worth roughly US$3 million as his exit package. Council fired him. Though the court of public opinion summarily convicted him on charges of gluttony and incompetence, the question has emerged: Does he qualify for the tag of Harare’s most infamous villain? The jury is divided on this one. Residents’ representatives are glad to finally see his back, as they say he presided over various maladies that sill plague service delivery.
Cases in point are poor water and waste management, with the biggest charge being failure to handle the vendor menace in the Central Business District.
Conversely, those who worked with Dr Mahachi closely describe him as an Einstein of sorts who could quickly grasp issues.
Others reckon, though, that he was treading water for too long and finally went under.
Combined Harare Residents’ Association president Mr Mfundo Mlilo says, “His salary and the retirement package he wants reflect the kind of person he is: greedy and out of touch with reality!
“He was living like an American popstar in the midst of poverty and fi lth. We certainly cannot have one getting all that money in an economy like Zimbabwe’s; in a city like Harare.”
Former Harare Mayor Muchadeyi Masunda recounts, “He was thrown into the deep end of the pool and there was no way he could have survived. In the ordinary course of events, the position of town clerk was exclusively for someone with a legal background.
“Tendai came without that, but to his credit, he was an analytical chemist and had a strong managerial background from the 15 years he was at Unilever in Europe, Kenya and here.”
He adds, “The point I struggled to stress to councillors was that there is no way one can rise to those levels in a multinational company like Unilever unless one knows what they are doing.
“You have to work to the best of your abilities. You cannot please everyone. Mahachi tried to please politicians, co-workers and the mayor and this certainly did not go down well with residents.”
A Town House official said: “Dr Mahachi was a fast thinker committed to service delivery. However, the people he worked with did not match his intellectual capabilities, thus pro- jects were not implemented as quickly as he wanted.
“These people were too careful for nothing. He is obviously hurt, angry and feels betrayed.
“I think this is why he is demanding so much.”
Dr Mahachi joined Harare City Council as a strategist, becoming town clerk in 2007.
His stint as the capital’s chief executive ended just as he had set his sights on making Harare a worldclass city by 2025.
Hero or villain? The jury is still out on that one.