Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume has publicly expressed his frustration with the city council’s Head of Information Technology, William Mugobogobo, for the failure to implement the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, four years after its adoption.
Mayor Mafume admonishes IT head over ERP system delay.
Mr. William Mugobogobo has been ignoring Mayor Jacob Mafume’s phone calls.
During a recent full council meeting at Town House, the mayor seized the opportunity to criticise Mugobogobo and the entire IT department, labeling it as “the worst” and holding it accountable for the failure to have the 2024 budget approved by the ministry.
What particularly angered the mayor was Mugobogobo’s lackadaisical attitude after Mafume attempted to reach him for an update on the progress of ERP system implementation.
“My dear colleague, consistently ignoring my calls will lead to serious repercussions. I have been trying to reach you for the past two days.
“You are responsible for a system (ERP) that has hindered us from securing a budget, and yet you fail to respond to my calls.
“Do you think we are here for trivial matters? Is it not embarrassing that as the head of IT, our buildings lack internet access, our emails are dysfunctional, and your department is in disarray, yet you ignore my calls?” charged Mafume.
The absence of the ERP system has resulted in council officials exploiting the local authority while communication with customers remains problematic.
“Your department has caused significant damage to our council. Our billing system is in chaos, and we are unable to communicate effectively with our customers, a task even a university can accomplish with a cellphone.
“I demand to know the status of this project. I don’t want vague updates; we need a concrete start date for the ERP implementation. When will the ERP system be operational?
“You have delayed us for too long due to your incompetence, and I question why we continue to entrust the same individuals who caused the problem to rectify it,” said the mayor.
He highlighted that the council’s reputation is being tarnished by erroneous recommendations from the IT department.
“We are being defamed because your department provided us with inaccurate recommendations, failed to conclude negotiations, and you fail to respond to my calls. What is your excuse?
“We require a thorough briefing on the ERP progress, and your absence from meetings is unacceptable.”
Mugobogobo was unable to provide a detailed timeline for the readiness of the ERP system.
Mafume issued him a 24-hour ultimatum to finalize the ERP system contract.
“Can we expect progress within the next 24 hours?” queried Mafume.
Mugobogobo appeared disoriented, prompting Mafume to repeat the question. Mugobogobo eventually responded, “Yes, we can communicate, yes, we can.”
Mafume emphasised the need for the local authority to resume normal operations within 50 days.
“Within that timeframe, we expect a demonstration of the functioning ERP system, not just promises,” he asserted.
Harare resolved to adopt the ERP system four years ago, yet its implementation has been stalled. The software is designed to automate all council operations, facilitating paperless and real-time processing.
Two months prior, 23 council finance staff were suspended over the matter, following auditors’ concerns about potential financial leakages.
Source NewZimbabwe
