Harare – The leadership of Citizens Against Economic Sanctions (CAES) has been plunged into turmoil following serious allegations of corruption and mismanagement levelled against the organisation’s chairman and founder, Martin Zharare.
Sources within the organisation say the matter came to the fore during a recent National Executive Council meeting held in the Midlands Province, where members reportedly raised concerns over financial irregularities and the handling of community development funds.
Wallace Matavire, who serves as the organisation’s Head of Security and reportedly led an internal inquiry, said preliminary findings pointed to possible abuse of funds intended for community projects.
“Investigations carried out so far suggest that funds meant for borehole drilling and other community initiatives may not have been properly accounted for,” Matavire said.
According to the allegations, several communities across the country – including areas in Matabeleland North, Binga, Bubi, Muzarabani, Bulawayo, Mount Darwin and Harare – may have been affected.
In Binga, community members were reportedly promised 47 boreholes at a cost of about US$1 800 each. However, some of the projects were allegedly left incomplete or were never initiated despite payments reportedly being made.
Additional claims suggest that about 6 000 farming input packages were collected from the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) depot in Mhondoro’s Mamina area using the names of individuals who are not registered members of CAES.
Efforts to obtain comment from CAES Vice Chairman and Director of Mobilisation Programmes and Logistics, Elison Muchenje, were unsuccessful as his mobile phone was unreachable by the time of publication.
Meanwhile, sources within the organisation indicated that the CAES board has since moved to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Zharare while further investigations are underway.
The board has also reportedly encouraged individuals and communities who believe they may have been affected to report the matter to the police.
“We urge anyone who believes they were prejudiced to formally report their cases so that authorities can conduct proper investigations,” Matavire said.
Founded in 2018, CAES is an organisation that campaigns against economic sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe and claims to have a nationwide membership base.
The unfolding controversy has sparked debate among members and observers about accountability and governance within civic organisations.
Authorities are expected to assess the matter after reports were filed, with investigations likely to determine the veracity of the allegations.