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secondment to the city with a mandate to “enhance and enforce the safety of the city’s residents, refocus and re-align public safety issues with best practice around the world”.
The department comprising Harare Metro Police, fire and ambulances services and traffic section was created in 2007 as part of the city’s unbundling under the controversial turnaround project.

Initially, the city operated with only five departments, but in 2007 they were increased to 12.
The city was heavily criticised for putting more pressure on ratepayers who meet the employment costs for more directors.

Mrs Fundira’s exit package includes staying in the council’s Belvedere house until December.
She will also get a vehicle she was using and an undisclosed amount of money that was agreed to by a recent full council meeting. Her contract with the city ended on June 30.

In the interim the department would report directly to town clerk Dr Tendai Mahachi.
Before 2007 the department was a section in the chamber secretary’s office.

Mrs Fundira, who is a retired assistant police commissioner and once worked as a commissioner in the public service, was seconded to the city to spearhead its public safety strategy and to instill discipline.
“Through Mrs Fundira’s committed guidance and unparalleled diligence to service, the City of Harare’s safety mandate has achieved commendable success, as exhibited by the close synergies and partnerships the metro police has fostered with law enforcement agencies, improvements in traffic and on street parking management and high levels of visibility,” reads part of the full council minutes.

She made history together with chamber secretary Mrs Josephine Ncube when the two became the only female heads of departments at Town House.
Mrs Fundira led a team of 1 000 men and women and during her tenure she was very visible on the streets as she participated in the rounding up of illegal vendors.