A Harare City Council ICT employee has appeared in court accused of manipulating the council’s financial system and stealing over US$20,000. Investigations revealed discrepancies in financial records linked to a superuser account assigned to the accused. The case remains before the courts, with no funds recovered so far.
A City of Harare employee from the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) department has appeared in court on allegations of manipulating the council’s financial system and embezzling US$20,627 from clients’ accounts. The accused, David Madzivanyika, who is currently on suspension, was granted bail after appearing before Harare Provincial Magistrate Mr Artwell Sanyatwe over the weekend.
The complainant in the case is the Harare City Council, represented by Mostard Mashiringo, a 51-year-old Senior Systems Analyst with the local authority. The matter is being prosecuted by Ms Polite Chikiwa, who outlined the State’s case during the court proceedings.
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According to the prosecution, the alleged fraud came to light in late November 2025 after the Harare City Council Revenue Division received complaints from clients disputing the balances reflected in their accounts. These complaints prompted internal concern over possible irregularities within the system.
Following the complaints, the Acting Head of Information and Communication Technology, William Mugobogobo, instructed an investigation into the matter. Mashiringo was tasked with leading the inquiry to determine the source of the discrepancies reported by clients.
During the investigation, officials discovered inconsistencies between figures recorded in the sub-ledgers and those appearing in the main ledgers. These discrepancies raised further suspicion that the system may have been manipulated, leading to a deeper review of financial records and system logs.
To assist with the investigation, the council consulted C.C.G., a South African-based vendor and provider of the Sage Evolution Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system used by the municipality. The company was engaged to analyse the system and provide technical insight into the irregularities.
C.C.G. confirmed that there was evidence of manipulation in the affected accounts. The company recommended the creation of a monitoring programme to track superuser activities within the database, noting that such a monitoring system had not previously been in place.
Following this recommendation, the Information Communication Division implemented monitoring measures. The system’s audit trail revealed that a superuser account identified as “sa2,” which had been assigned to Madzivanyika, was responsible for unauthorised changes made to account balances.
The findings were then escalated to the council’s Audit Division, which reviewed the evidence and informed the Audit Committee. Based on the information gathered, the division recommended that Madzivanyika be suspended pending further action.
The case was subsequently reported to the police, leading to Madzivanyika’s arrest and court appearance. The total amount allegedly stolen is valued at US$20,627, and authorities confirmed that no recoveries have been made to date. The matter is still before the courts.
