Bulawayo Residents: Reject Geo Pomona Deal Over Procurement Concerns

• Bulawayo residents and civil society organizations are opposing a government directive to engage Geo Pomona for waste management at Richmond Landfill.
• The directive, issued by Minister Daniel Garwe on September 10, aims to address severe pollution and smoke emissions but is criticized for bypassing procurement procedures.
• Concerns include a potential conflict of interest involving Geo Pomona CEO Delish Nguwaya, who also serves as a presidential adviser on waste management.
• Residents demand full financial disclosure of the proposed deal, public scrutiny, and fair competition for other companies that had submitted expressions of interest.
• Community groups urge the Bulawayo City Council leadership not to sign any agreement before its contents are made public and subjected to legal and public review.

Community groups emphasize that the urgent public health and environmental crisis at Richmond Landfill, particularly the choking smoke impacting areas like Cowdray Park, should not serve as a pretext to circumvent legal procurement processes, erode local governance, or impose an unaccountable, single-source contract on the city.

Residents' associations and civil society organizations in Bulawayo have voiced strong opposition to a government directive mandating the engagement of Geo Pomona for waste management services at the city's Richmond Landfill, also known as Ngozi Mine. While acknowledging the severe and escalating waste crisis, including significant pollution and smoke emissions impacting nearby communities such as Cowdray Park, these groups contend that the proposed arrangement bypasses critical public procurement safeguards. The directive, issued on September 10 by Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe, aims to address these pressing environmental and public health concerns, with Geo Pomona positioned to lead the intervention, drawing on its experience from waste management initiatives in Harare, including the Pomona Waste Management facility.

Minister Garwe has underscored the necessity of this intervention, citing the overwhelming scale of Bulawayo's waste management challenges, which include widespread waste accumulation, illegal dumping, and pollution at Ngozi Mine. He also outlined plans for a broader Presidential Bins Scheme in urban areas, where companies would provide bins to enhance waste collection and disposal, with Geo Pomona slated to play a pivotal role in this initiative as well. Despite the government's stated rationale for urgent action, the community groups have called for Minister Garwe to withdraw the seven-day deadline imposed on the Bulawayo City Council to finalize an agreement, arguing that such a tight timeframe precludes proper scrutiny and competitive bidding.

Community groups emphasize that the urgent public health and environmental crisis at Richmond Landfill, particularly the choking smoke impacting areas like Cowdray Park, should not serve as a pretext to circumvent legal procurement processes, erode local governance, or impose an unaccountable, single-source contract on the city. They argue that requiring the Bulawayo City Council to conclude an agreement within seven days, without a transparent and competitive procurement process, directly undermines the established safeguards governing the use of public resources and raises significant questions about Zimbabwe public procurement transparency.

A central point of contention revolves around a potential conflict of interest involving Delish Nguwaya, the chief executive of Geo Pomona. Residents highlight that Nguwaya also serves as a presidential adviser on waste management, suggesting that these dual roles raise serious questions about the process through which Geo Pomona was selected for this critical Bulawayo waste management contract. The groups stress that the Bulawayo City Council had already initiated its own procurement processes to identify long-term solutions, and companies that had submitted expressions of interest should be afforded the opportunity to compete fairly for the Richmond Landfill Ngozi Mine contract.

In response to the directive, Bulawayo residents are demanding full disclosure of the proposed deal's financial implications before any agreement is signed, asserting that they will ultimately bear the social and financial costs of any waste-to-energy or management model implemented. They have urged Mayor David Coltart, Town Clerk Christopher Dube, and the entire council leadership to refrain from signing any agreement until its contents are made public and subjected to thorough legal and public scrutiny. This stance underscores a broader demand for greater local government autonomy and due diligence in public-private partnerships.

Furthermore, the community organizations advocate for the inclusion of local waste operators and informal recyclers currently working at Ngozi Mine in any future arrangements. They have also called upon the Bulawayo City Council to publish its plans for addressing the immediate health risks posed by the smoke emanating from Ngozi Mine, particularly for residents in Cowdray Park. The groups affirm their readiness to engage with the council and other stakeholders, emphasizing the importance of resident involvement in decisions affecting the city’s waste management system and ensuring that local companies have an opportunity to participate in any procurement process, thereby promoting a more inclusive and transparent approach to urban development.

Lawyers should advise clients on the heightened scrutiny and legal risks associated with public procurement processes in Zimbabwe, particularly concerning government directives that may bypass established transparency and competitive bidding safeguards. Compliance officers should monitor for potential conflicts of interest in public-private partnerships and ensure due diligence on contract terms and financial implications, especially when local government autonomy is challenged.

Source: Original reporting via local media outlets