By Correspondent
The Pomona deal between Harare Council and Geogenix BV is already haunting the capital as private waste collectors are now dumping garbage in the CBD to avoid costs at Pomona.
Council said some of the shops in the CBD also use street kids to dump garbage for them.
In a statement, it said this scenario has made collecting garbage from Copacabana, Charge Office, Market Square, 4th Street and Rezende impossible.
“The situation at the mentioned areas has led to city council employees having to clear these bus termini skip points of waste during the night when accessibility is better.
“Council efforts are being hampered by private players who are collecting refuse from residential areas and dumping waste at these points to avoid paying fees at Pomona.
It added, “shop owners and tenants are adding to this dilemma by using street kids to dump waste at these points.
Struggling Players
In 2022 Waste Away, a private garbage collector, declared incapacitation as it could not pay US$800 daily to dump garbage at Pomona.
Waste Away is a waste removal services, waste disposal and waste management company operating in Harare.
Since June 2022, when Geogenix took over, private players pay USD$40 per tonne plus 15% Value Added Tax.
Geo Pomona took over Harare’s biggest dump site through a heavily contested US$400 million deal.
The deal sparked outrage among Harare residents and opposition councillors.
However, in a bid to deal with this issue, Council said it will be rigorously implementing relevant by-laws.
“The city will from now on be rigorously escalating its efforts to enforce anti-litter by-law number 30 of 2016.
“There will be heavy penalties for those caught on the wrong side, and shop owners will lose their business licenses.”
Mafume Sticking To Guns
However, Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume insists the council resolution cancelling the deal is legally binding.
“We cancelled it, I mean, how do you pay US$3,5 million by cancelling.
“Someone buys bond paper and scribes something, then he expects you to pay US$3,5 million from what? That’s theft.
“Ongosvika onzi (Someone just comes and says) I am now leasing your property, if you cancel it you are paying.
“We have cancelled the whole contract in its entirety including that clause that says we should pay anything. You can’t cancel something and then obey it by paying it, you just cancel,” said Mafume.
Mafume says Geo Pomona has also not been invoicing Harare.
“We are not taking invoices from them. I do not know maybe they are sending (invoices) to government.