THE Zimbabwe National Organisation of Associations and Residents Trust (ZNOART), an umbrella organisation representing all residents and associations in Zimbabwe has commended the Geo Pomona waste-to-energy plant.
This comes after Harare City Council (HCC) has been fighting to suspend the deal and so far failed to pay service fee for the months of May and June.
Speaking at a tour of the project yesterday, ZNOART chairperson Shepherd Chikomba described attempts by HCC to disown the deal as ‘‘selfish’’.
Chikomba said residents had been following the Pomona dump site project from council committee stages up to resolutions and their visits for due diligence to Italy and Albania for project feasibility before they could put pen to paper on contractual agreement.
“We have regrettably seen and heard social and print media noises by HCC and respective councillors disowning this deal hence our coming here today.
“Our question is; if at all the deal was not satisfactory, why could they not have cancelled the deal before signing of the contract or Memorandum of Understanding?” Chikomba queried.
“As residents we can’t fold our hands when councillors we voted for forget their mandates especially towards being non-partisan in bringing developmental ideas and projects to our communities not to fight development.
“The selfish and corrupt tendencies being exhibited in the implementation of the Pomona waste management contract smacks of safeguarding their personal interests ahead of national development which is totally unacceptable”.
He also urged the HCC and Geogenix BV to work together for the benefit of residents.
“After touring this dumpsite and getting all the information ZNOART on behalf of concerned residents, we urge the two parties to work together for the benefit of residents and Zimbabwe bearing in mind that the time lapsed 10 years ago for all councils to adhere to Statutory Instrument 6 on Effluent and Waste Disposal Regulations of 2007, which ordered all local authorities to migrate from open dumpsites to properly lined and engineered dumpsites by 2013.”
This also comes after the government last week ordered HCC to pay nearly US$800 000 for May service fee, arguing that the deal was irreversible and would transform Harare.
HCC has also received a default notice from the contractor reminding them that failure to pay the May service fee would attract a 12 percent interest.
