Senior official reveals poisoning attempts and assassination threats against those exposing corruption at Zimbabwe’s capital city authority.

A top Harare City Council official has testified that whistleblowers exposing corruption at Town House face death threats and poisoning attempts, revealing a dangerous pattern of retaliation against those who speak out.

Bosman Matengarufu, acting Human Capital Director, told a presidential Commission of Inquiry he survived two poisoning attempts and an armed pursuit after challenging corrupt practices at Town House.
“I was poisoned twice, and it’s on record,” Matengarufu testified before the commission, which President Emmerson Mnangagwa established to investigate financial misconduct dating back to 2017.

He linked the attacks to his demotion following the return of Matthew Marara, whom he had temporarily replaced during a corruption investigation. Matengarufu alleged Marara later created a fake position to misappropriate council funds.

The revelations follow the suspicious death of Funny Machipisa, a District Administration Manager who died mysteriously in 2024 after warning authorities about threats to his life. His family believes his death was connected to his anti-corruption efforts.

Machipisa had written to the Local Government Ministry in July 2024 expressing fears of retaliation for opposing corrupt councillors and their illegal allocation of residential stands in upscale areas.

“The City of Harare is a toxic environment,” Matengarufu told Justice Maphios Cheda, the commission chairman, warning that interfering with land, water, and procurement operations could lead to severe consequences.