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.
Newsday
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