IMPOSING deals from private companies on City of Harare (CoH) without following proper procedures and consultation creates a breeding ground for corruption, residents have said.
These are the sentiments of the Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA), who are at loggerheads with council and the Ministry of Local Government over the approval of Geo Pomona to carry out waste management in the capital.
Speaking at a recent meeting with Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume at Town House, CHRA director Reuben Akili said that the failure to consult and the passing of council resolutions on private partnerships creates channels for corruption.
"When you read the addendum for the Pomona project, it also speaks to the issues of the local authority transferring equipment and moving workers to Geo Pomona, which is likely an agreement that was not discussed.
"We need to look at the root causes of this corruption. This is very important because when you look at these committees, they play an oversight role.
"When issues are discussed in a chamber like this, decisions are made at that level. But when decisions do not originate from there, we create room for corruption. We create room for the bleeding of council resources," said Akili.
Geo Pomona was established in 2022 after a Dutch waste management firm, Geogenix BV, secured a US$350 million waste-to-energy deal with the city.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Geo Pomona's operations with Harare have been a source of contention among residents amid new information that the firm's local focal person, Delish Nguwaya, and President Emmerson Mnangagwa's son, have 50-50 percent shares in the company.
Initially, Town House opposed granting permission for Geo Pomona to take over its dumping sites but has since changed its stance, agreeing to work together to clear the dump sites.
Geo Pomona Waste Management will collect 650 tonnes of refuse daily at a rate of US$40 per tonne.
Despite objections from residents, Geo Pomona's projects have been dubbed a model to emulate in other cities by the government.
Mafume, once a vocal critic of Geo Pomona, told residents that private partnerships such as this one will transform the CoH.
"Let us be clear, there are certain things that can be done better if we work with the private sector. I do understand that initially, the dump site was an issue of contention, even for me, but if you go there now, the place is clean.
"The place has no smell. The place has been effectively managed. If you remember, we, as the residents or as the city council at that time, said we would not pay, and the payment was done from the central fiscus. They have sorted the place out, and the residents did not have to pay.
"That is a model that seems to work. We might have issues with it, but those are issues that we can address," said Mafume.
