Pomona scandal: CCC councillors press for urgent meeting to axe deal

Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) Harare councillors have signed a motion demanding a special council meeting to review the Pomona deal that is paying US$22 000 a day to Geogenix B.V, a shadowy company allegedly fronted by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s son Collins and family friend Delish Nguwaya.

In July last year, City of Harare (COH) councillors led by then acting Mayor Stewart Mutizwa gave out for free, Pomona Dumpsites to Geogenix B.V, a blacklisted company in Europe.

The controversial company is expected to transform the dumpsite into a waste management facility. It is being paid at least US$22 000 a day and US$14,600,000 a year, translating to over US$300 million for 30 years according to the contract.

On Wednesday, 31 CCC councillors wrote to Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume calling for an urgent meeting to discuss the deal that they unanimously view as useless.

“We are of the view that the deal is, as we will show, is of no benefit to the city and it’s ratepayers,” read the letter.

“The deal, in our respectful view, will not solve the challenges associated with refuse collection but worsen them. Many private players who have been helping the city with refuse collection have since withdrawn.”

The deal was signed while Mayor Mafume was strategically suspended by Local Government Minister July Moyo who reportedly coerced MDC Alliance councillors to stamp it.

The illegal deal that implicates Mnangagwa’s son and Nguwaya caused public outcry due to its atrocious terms and conditions which in particular, require Harare City Council the owner of Pomona land to pay a tenant, Geogenix B.V daily allowances for dumping waste.

A guaranteed minimum which entails that, whether the city dumps or not, it will have to pay the US$22 000 makes the situation worse.

Mafume this week said residents had started to accrue daily debts to Geogenix B.V.

“Every day that passes by, we owe the money. We might not physically pay, but it’s a contract, we will have to pay,” he said.

Harare North legislator Norman Markham has since approached the High Court challenging the project.