'Harare to pay US$22,000 a day for dumpsite'

ANTI-CORRUPTION watchdogs, civic groups and Harare residents yesterday described as scandalous and shameful the Pomona waste management deal awarded to Netherlands-based company Geogenix BV.

Geogenix BV (Pomona Waste Management) local frontman Delish Nguwaya's relationship with President Emmerson Mnangagwa has also been under the microscope following revelations that the controversial businessman is part of the delegation in Davos, Switzerland.

The US$316 million contract seen by NewsDay will see Harare City Council surrendering the country's biggest dumpsite to Geogenix BV, which changed its name from Integrated Energy BV in 2020 following a series of scandals in Albania.

According to the contract, which was awarded without going to tender, Harare City Council handed over the dumpsite free of charge. Harare City Council will pay at least US$22 000 per day to dump waste at Pomona dumpsite for the next 30 years.

In a Press statement yesterday, Harare Metropolitan Residents Forum, Transparency International Zimbabwe, Zimcodd and other civic organisations condemned the deal as scandalous and wantonly imposed on ratepayers.

"We would like to make it very clear that this scandal is a direct attack on the devolution of power provided for in Chapter 14 of the Constitution since the project was imposed by the central government on the City of Harare," their statement read.

"This scandal is evident when the City of Harare is bound by the agreement to handover Pomona dumpsite to Georgenix for free for the period of 30 years and then is bound to pay US$22 000 per day to dump waste it has collected at its own cost for the next 30 years at the same dumpsite," the statement added.

Minutes of the February 28 council meeting and the joint environmental management, finance and development and business committee meeting of February 23 show that Local Government minister July Moyo armtwisted Harare City to sign the deal.

"Obviously, Moyo knew that the March by-elections were going to usher in new councillors from the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) who were going to oppose the scandalous deal. The government had to rush the agreement," suspended Harare mayor Jacob Mafume said.

Harare Residents Forum spokesperson Marvelous Kumalo said: "In our view, the contents of the memorandum of agreement signed between the City of Harare and Geogenix for the US$300 million Pomona Waste to Energy Project is a pure scandal and a burden to the city meant to serve the best interests of the politically-connected elite at the expense of the residents of Harare."

Harare North MP Allan Markham (CCC) has since taken Harare City Council and Geogenix BV to court over the Pomona Waste to Energy deal.