The Herald reports that the municipality’s Audit Committee
chairperson Councillor Blessing Duma told the commission probing council
affairs that Nanotech was awarded a contract to supply, install and commission
chlorine dioxide water treatment technology at Morton Jaffray Water Treatment
Works.
The US$1,1 million was paid despite the contract stating
that payment was only due after Nanotech had successfully delivered the project
to the city.
He said council was not obligated to make any advance
payments while the terms of the contract stated that the money was only due
after Nanotech had successfully delivered water to the city.
“When we dig deeper, we read the MoU (memorandum of
understanding), City of Harare was not even supposed to pay a cent because the
MoU is very clear that the City of Harare would do certain things, then
Nanotech would provide its equipment and everything on site.
“Those people knew the MoU. It was the chamber secretary
who signed all the contracts and all the agreements for the city. They knew the
contents of the MoU,” said Cllr Duma.
He said Nanotech assured council that on payment of the
US$1,1 million, Harare would receive a substantial inflow of clean water within
three to five days.
“On August 30, 2022, there was a special council (meeting)
that we were attending and a certain company called Nanotech made a
presentation about the solution for water chemicals (challenges),” he said.
“When they made that presentation, they promised that when
we pay US$1,1 million within three days, Harare will be flooded with water.
Three years down the line, nothing has happened.
“In that presentation, they said they would give us water
if we gave them US$1,1 million. There was an MoU that was signed that day and
council resolved that after they made the presentations, ‘that’s okay, we can
sign the MoU.”
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