Zimbabwe: False Start to a Murky Deal – Mnangagwa Backs Controversial Geo Pomona Waste Management As Refuse Piles Up in Harare

PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has said the controversial takeover of waste management by Geo Pomona in Harare will enhance the sector, an area in which the City Council had failed.

Mnangagwa made the remarks in Harare, Thursday while commissioning the waste sorting plant and refuse collection trucks at the Geo Pomona Waste Management facility.

The commissioning of the sorting plant, 45 refuse trucks, and 100 skip bins comes amid uproar from residents’ associations over Geo Pomona’s takeover of waste collection, which will cost Harare City Council millions of dollars.

Residents have questioned the opaque tripartite agreement between Geo Pomona, the Harare City Council, and the Ministry of Local Government, arguing that the arrangement was made with no prior consultation.

However, Mnangagwa, in his address, insisted that Geo Pomona would improve waste collection in the capital.

“To date, the waste collection crisis, particularly in the capital city of Harare, has had dire consequences, ranging from environmental degradation to public health risks, among other negative impacts. We have seen outbreaks of diseases–a situation that is wholly unacceptable. Such conditions must become a thing of the past.

“Therefore, in line with Vision 2030, my Government continues to prioritise the creation of clean, safe, and modern urban environments, which are engines of economic growth. “Cleanliness and the efficient management of service delivery are not just indicators of good governance but also essential benchmarks for a nation’s competitiveness,” said Mnangagwa.

Geo Pomona, which was tasked with refuse collection earlier this year in an arrangement spearheaded by the Minister of Local Government, Daniel Garwe, is yet to fully fulfil its mandate.

Piles of uncollected refuse in residential areas remain a sore sight months after the company’s takeover.

This has angered residents, who have cast doubt on the impact of Geo Pomona’s operations, despite the government’s prior praise for the waste management initiative.

Further fuelling residents’ frustration is the US$40 per tonne that the City Council will pay Geo Pomona for waste disposal. The company is expected to collect 650 tonnes daily once operations are in full swing.

President Mnangagwa said the Harare model should be replicated in other local authorities.

“Through the purchase of this equipment, we must see the waste management system being capacitated to efficiently and consistently collect waste across all parts of Harare.

“I urge sector players in other towns and cities to take a leaf from such initiatives towards improving waste management in our country,” he said.

By New Zimbabwe.