BULAWAYO – An association of Bulawayo residents and rights groups have rejected a directive by local government minister Daniel Garwe ordering the city to sign a waste management deal with Geo Pomona within a week, saying the move violates procurement laws and demanding public scrutiny of the agreement.
In a press statement issued jointly, 11 civic groups said council leadership – Mayor David Coltart and town clerk Christopher Dube – were reviewing the directive’s implications under the Urban Councils Act, but insisted elected representatives should not sign the memorandum of understanding (MOU) until its terms are published and put through 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 organisations said.
Councillors held an urgent meeting on Monday to consider Garwe’s directive. Speaking afterwards, Coltart said council had asked management to approach Geo Pomona for a draft MOU rather than commit to signing anything, and had not set itself a deadline to do so.
“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.
Garwe visited Bulawayo on September 10 with Geo Pomona chief executive Dilesh Nguwaya and United Nations resident coordinator Rosemary Kalapurakal, and gave the city one week to finalise the agreement, warning that central government would act unilaterally if the council failed to comply.
Garwe said Geo Pomona had obtained “cabinet authority” to replicate the model in Harare across all major cities, including Bulawayo.
The city has long been concerned over smoke and pollution from the Richmond Landfill, known locally as Ngozi Mine, which borders Cowdray Park and Richmond.
The residents’ groups said they shared the government’s concern over the environmental and health hazards at the dumpsite, but accused authorities of disregarding due process.
“The move to finalise the Geo Pomona deal undermines Zimbabwe’s procurement procedures which are clearly stated in the Public Finance Management Act and Urban Council’s Act,” the statement read.
“We fear that these legal frameworks have been violated in this case at the expense of residents’ interests. The shadowy deal from Geo Pomona deserves public scrutiny.”
The groups also flagged a potential conflict of interest, noting that Nguwaya, besides heading Geo Pomona, serves as presidential advisor on waste management.
They called on the City of Bulawayo to publish what it is doing to address the health hazard in Cowdray Park, as requested by residents and the Environmental Management Agency, and demanded that the council’s own procurement processes – which had already attracted expressions of interest from several local companies – be made public.
“Companies such as Treger have been doing business informally at Ngozi Mine therefore what is needed is regularisation,” the statement said, adding that such firms “deserve to play a part in competitive bidding processes.”
The organisations said they had “an organised alternative to Bulawayo’s waste management” and were willing to present it to the city and other interested parties.
The statement was signed by Ibhetshu Likazulu, the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association, Constitution Defenders Forum, Defend the Constitution Platform, SWITA, Habakkuk Trust, the Bulawayo Waste Management Traders Association, the Public Policy Research Institute of Zimbabwe, the Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Organization, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), and Cowdray Park Residents.
