David Coltart puts brakes on Geo Pomona deal

Bulawayo Mayor David Coltart says the city will not commit public funds to a proposed waste management deal with Geo Pomona until its financial and legal implications have been fully assessed.

Coltart confirmed that no agreement had been signed, despite a government directive instructing the local authority to engage the company over deteriorating conditions at Richmond Landfill, popularly known as Ngozi Mine.

"There is no deal at present, and we've not signed any agreement," Coltart told ZimLive.

The Bulawayo City Council has dispatched technical teams to inspect Geo Pomona's waste management operations in Harare and assess the costs associated with its model. Councillors are also expected to visit the facility before determining whether the proposed approach is suitable and affordable for the city.

Coltart said Bulawayo needed investment running into tens of millions of dollars to establish modern waste management facilities capable of separating refuse and processing plastics into aggregates or energy.

However, the proposed cost and financial terms of any agreement with Geo Pomona in Bulawayo have not been disclosed.

Geo Pomona's Harare arrangement reportedly targets the collection of 650 tonnes of waste daily at US$40 per tonne, translating to an estimated annual cost of approximately US$9 million. The figures do not necessarily reflect the potential cost in Bulawayo, where waste management requirements differ.

According to Coltart, refuse collection is not the city's main challenge. Council has additional refuse trucks on order and is awaiting devolution funds to pay for them.

Instead, the immediate priority is finding a lasting solution for separating and processing the waste already deposited at Ngozi Mine.

Coltart stressed that any agreement with Geo Pomona would have to comply with national procurement laws.

Bulawayo launched its procurement process in 2025 and received three compliant bids in October that year. A prefeasibility study was subsequently submitted to the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency in June 2026.

A council committee was expected to consider the proposal on September 8, two days before Garwe instructed the local authority to engage Geo Pomona.

The government's intervention has prompted residents and civil society organisations to demand transparency over the proposed arrangement and its potential financial implications for ratepayers.

Meanwhile, people who depend on collecting recyclable materials at Ngozi Mine fear the project could threaten their livelihoods and homes.

Some residents say waste picking is their only source of income, while others worry that they could struggle to secure formal employment because they lack identity documents or are considered too old to enter the job market.

Geo Pomona has reportedly indicated that it would absorb Ngozi Mine residents as waste collectors if its proposed agreement with council is approved.

Coltart said council workers had recently managed to control fires and toxic smoke at the landfill, but warned that the underlying risks remained and required a permanent solution.

He said the city would have no objection in principle to engaging Geo Pomona if its assessment established that the company was the most suitable provider for waste separation and processing and that its services were affordable.

Geo Pomona has also faced scrutiny over its political connections. Although the project is formally associated with Netherlands-registered Geogenix BV, the company's executive chairman and chief executive, Delish Nguwaya, has been widely reported to be a close associate of President Emmerson Mnangagwa's family.

For now, Bulawayo's position remains that any commitment of public funds must be supported by a clear assessment of costs, legal obligations, procurement compliance and the long-term benefits to the city.