THE €304 million joint venture deal between Harare City Council and German investor, Geogenix BV, to set up a massive waste-to-energy project at Pomona dumpsite in Harare, was done in line with the country’s laws.
The project is expected to generate up to 22MW of
electricity.
In her presentation in the National Assembly yesterday,
Local Government and Public Works Deputy Minister Dr Marian Chombo gave a
background of how Harare had since 2016, been looking for investors to set up a
waste management plant at Pomona and had received various expressions of
interest from many players including Geogenix BV.
“In 2020, Geogenix resubmitted its proposal to council for
a joint venture waste to energy plant. The proposal was presented to the
Zimbabwe Investment Development Agency which is a statutory body responsible
for the promotion, entry, protection and facilitation of investment in
Zimbabwe,” she said.
Deputy Minister Chombo said Geogenix was an international
company which needed to follow laid down investment procedures as laid out by
the ZIDA Act.
She added that ZIDA forwarded the proposals to the Cabinet
Committee on Joint Ventures, which in turn presented the proposals to Cabinet
for approval.
Deputy Minister Chombo said Cabinet was the highest
executive authority in the country and the Harare City Council had an
obligation to implement Cabinet decisions, which they did when they entered
into a contract with the German company.
She, however, said on May 3, Mr Allan Markham, Harare North
legislator and others, sued the Minister of Local Government and Public Works,
July Moyo, Harare City Council and Geogenix at the High Court seeking the
nullification of the contract.
Deputy Minister Chombo said the contract had many benefits
that include power generation, employment creation and waste management adding
that its implementation would continue unless the Courts rule otherwise.
Following her presentation, Speaker Advocate Jacob Mudenda
ruled that because of the lawsuit, debate on the matter could not proceed
resulting in the ejection of CCC legislators Tendai Biti and Charlton Hwende
from the National Assembly chamber for their rowdy behaviour. Herald
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