GOVERNMENT has given Geo Pomona Waste Management a contract to collect refuse in the capital in a controversial deal that will see the financially-crippled Harare City Council (HCC) forking out approximately US$9 million annually.
HCC has for years failed to collect waste in the central business district and residential areas with President Emmerson Mnangagwa declaring the failure a national disaster following outbreaks of cholera and typhoid, waterborne diseases.
Geo Pomona executive chairperson Dilesh Nguwaya early this year said the firm would be collecting 650 tonnes of waste for US$40 per tonne daily.
The waste will be used for electricity generation for the national grid, according to Nguwaya.
He said the charges set out and agreed with Harare in the joint venture concession agreement were “fairly cheaper” than those obtaining in Europe.
“You will be aware that the standards at Pomona are in line with modern European trends in waste management. Below, we put the figures charged per tonne; Austria (US$166), Belgium (US$112), Denmark (US$114), Finland (US$116), France (US$95), Ireland (US$154), Italy (US$127) and the United Kingdom (US$135),” he said.
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Speaking at a press conference attended by Harare mayor Jacob Mafume yesterday, Local Government and Public Works minister Daniel Garwe said he was confident that Geo Pomona will clean up the capital.
“President Emmerson Mnangagwa in October 2023 declared a state of disaster on solid waste management in Harare. This was as a result of the financial challenges which the city is experiencing and these challenges have acutely affected service delivery, particularly in water, sanitation and solid waste management,” he said.
Garwe revealed that in August 2024, the city wrote to the ministry appealing for intervention in the area of solid waste management.
“To this end, Geo-Pomona Waste Management (Pvt) Ltd, a leading player in the waste management field, submitted an expression of interest to the ministry and the city for refuse collection and waste management.
“This company has got an existing partnership with the City of Harare on a waste to energy project at the Pomona dumpsite. Government, through private sector participation, is confident that the Sunshine City will witness an immediate improvement in solid waste management going forward," he said.
Mafume and top council officials were recently summoned to the Local Government ministry and told to relinquish refuse collection to Geo Pomona from next month.
The deal comes two years after government handed over managing rights of the capital’s main dumpsite in Pomona, Harare, for 30 years to Netherlands-based Geogenix BV fronted by Nguwaya.
The transaction between Geoginx BV — which runs Geo Pomona — and government, has triggered a fierce tussle with Harare.
In his statement yesterday, Nguwaya said: “Waste management has been a persistent challenge for our nation and expectations from this initiative are understandably high.”
He said Geo Pomona would “deliver on this critical mandate.”
“Our priority will be to clear illegal dumpsites across the city and restore Harare’s cleanliness. A cleaner city will not just improve the beauty but it will improve public health and protect the environment,” Nguwaya said.
“Our goal is to ensure these areas are consistently clean and free of waste. When we officially launch our waste collection services, we will ensure the public is well-informed.”
The deal will see Geo Pomona collecting waste on high-traffic areas such as the CBD, Mbare, all major roads, bus termini and shopping centres.