The Zimbabwe government has given the opposition mayor of Harare until Thursday evening to leave his mayoral mansion and give up other perks of his job, a newspaper said on Thursday.
The official Herald quoted a notice from the local government minister ordering Mayor Elias Mudzuri, the first opposition mayor of the capital, to vacate his official residence ”not later than end of day on Thursday”.
He has also been ordered to give up his Mercedes Benz and bodyguards.
Mudzuri, who was suspended from office in April for alleged misconduct, was arrested earlier twice this week while returning to work after he had been on leave for several weeks.
He was released without charge after both arrests and his party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), claimed the arrests were part of ongoing state harassment.
The Herald quoted Mudzuri as saying he did not go back to his offices again on Wednesday because police officers were now stationed outside the main entrance.
Mudzuri is being investigated by a government commission for allegedly bungling the running of the city and flouting tender procedures. He denies the charges.
The opposition accuses the government of using ”political muscle” to interfere with Mudzuri’s work, and not allocating the town council with enough fuel and foreign currency to carry out essential service.
The MDC mayor was elected overwhelmingly by Harare residents last year in polls that coincided with those that returned President Robert Mugabe to office for another six years. – Sapa-AFP