By Correspondent
A coalition of 11 Bulawayo civic organisations has rejected a directive by Minister of Local Government and Public Works Daniel Garwe ordering the City of Bulawayo to hand over its waste management to Geo Pomona Waste Management within seven days.
The groups say the order is illegal, unconstitutional and an assault on devolution.
The backlash follows Garwe’s September 10 visit to Bulawayo.
Flanked by Geo Pomona CEO and Presidential Advisor Dilesh Nguwaya, Garwe issued an ultimatum: sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or central government will impose it.
“We Will Not Sign In The Dark”
However, i a strongly-worded joint statement, the residents and rights groups said council must not sign anything until the deal is published and subjected to competitive tender.
“The position of the residents is that our elected representatives must not proceed to sign the MOU until its contents are published, ventilated and put through a competitive tender to fulfil existing city and national procurement regulations,” the statement read.
The organisations argue Bulawayo had already initiated a lawful procurement process.
Council had also invited expressions of interest from waste management companies.
The process was halted after the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (ZIDA) insisted on a feasibility study.
Councillors now suspect the move was designed to pave way for Geo Pomona.
Council Stalls
Mayor David Coltart and Town Clerk Christopher Dube, who were present at the meeting with Garwe, have since distanced council from any immediate signing.
Councillors convened an urgent meeting on Monday to deliberate on the directive.
Coltart confirmed council resolved only to request a draft MOU from Geo Pomona for scrutiny, with no time-frame.
“We have noted the directive and asked management to speak to Geo Pomona to obtain a draft MOU for further consideration by council.
“We have not set any time limits for this.
“Once we have the draft MOU back we will meet to consider what it says,” he said.
Town Clerk Dube said management was still reviewing the implications of the directive under the Urban Councils Act.
Garwe, however, was unyielding during his visit.
“I told you earlier that we came here to make decisions and positive decisions, not to be moving around in circles as if we don’t understand what we are doing.
“We have no authority whatsoever to resist a Cabinet decision.
“If it becomes difficult for your town clerk to implement the directive I am giving now, that directive will be implemented from central government,” he warned.
Garwe claimed Geo Pomona had obtained “Cabinet authority” to replicate its Harare model in all major cities.
The peddled justification is to deal with the health crisis at Bulawayo’s Richmond Landfill commonly known as Ngozi Mine.
The site has been engulfed by recurrent fires, blanketing Cowdray Park, Luveve and Emakhandeni in smoke.
Conflict of Interest and Devolution Concerns
Opposition figures have also joined the fray.
Senator Jameson Timba said in a statement on September 12 that the move violates Sections 264, 265 and 276 of the Constitution on devolution and the autonomy of local authorities.
Timba also questioned the dual role of Nguwaya as both Geo Pomona Chief Executive and Special Advisor to President Emmerson Mnangagwa on waste management.
He called it a “textbook conflict of interest.”
The Harare Lesson
In Harare, Geo Pomona operates the Pomona dumpsite under a controversial 30-year deal.
It is estimated to cost ratepayers an estimated US$40,000 per day, or a minimum US$2.7 million monthly.
When the City of Harare failed to pay, Local Government announced it would divert part of the city’s devolution allocation directly to the company.
Bulawayo residents fear a repeat.
“Harare is already failing to afford this deal.
“Bulawayo, with a smaller revenue base, will be crippled,” said one resident association leader who declined to be named.
“You cannot claim to be rescuing service delivery by killing the institution mandated to deliver it,” the coalition said.
As of Monday, the draft MOU had not yet been delivered to council.
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