Moyo has been snubbing National Assembly
question-and-answer sessions for a long time, but last week he turned up and
the opposition legislators had a chance to demand an explanation from him over
the costly waste management deal which would have seen Harare City Council
forking out US$22 000 per day or US$8 million annually to dump its waste at the
Pomona dumpsite.
Harare East legislator Tendai Biti demanded to know why
government, notwithstanding that City of Harare cancelled the agreement with
German investor Geogenix BV, continues to pay the US$22 000 per day fee.
“The Constitution in section 264 says local authorities are
run by elected people and not the minister. What is the minister’s take in this
corrupt agreement?”
Harare North legislator Allan Markham accused Moyo of
abusing devolution funds.
“How can devolution funds be used to guarantee a project in
perpetuity? In other words, he is making the sole decision to use devolution
funds for this year. That is fine, but he is guaranteeing with devolution funds
that have not been approved yet,” Markham said.
Kambuzuma legislator Willias Madzimure said Moyo should
explain why he did not bring the Pomona waste management deal before Parliament
for scrutiny.
Moyo said the project was appraised by the City of Harare,
which was joined in the appraisal by government which has a responsibility over
local authorities throughout the country.
“So, when the government was approached by the City of
Harare, we knew that there is a problem in Pomona. Government agreed to say we
should proceed with this project. We have gone ahead and appended our
guarantee, and that is why we are going ahead with the full appraisal of the
technical people of the City of Harare,” said Moyo.
“There is nowhere in the agreement where it says it is
guaranteed by devolution funds. This is imagination as there is nowhere where
it is written like that.”
Moyo further indicated that when there is a government
guarantee and a default in payment occurs, Treasury picks up the tab. Newsday
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