The deal between the City of Harare and Geogenix BV Pomona under which the council is required to pay US$40 for each truck that delivers refuse to the site has set tongues wagging and that was before the most controversial clause of the deal came to light. One of the clauses of the deal forbids Harare City Council from creating and thus using an alternative dumpsite. Given what Pomona is charging it is a rather bizarre clause that raises all sorts of questions. Such as why on earth would councillors vote for such a bill seeing as the residents of Harare have all to lose and nothing to gain from it.

Clause 2.2.1(f) of the agreement with Geogenix BV, “prohibits construction of even waste collection or separation centres which were already set-up in Mbare, Glen-View and Budiriro.

Geogenix wants monopoly on waste.The agreement will force the local authority to continue transporting waste from as far as Glen-View to Pomona, even with few functional refuse trucks out of a fleet of 36 trucks.
You have to forget the biogas plant in Mbare if this thing is allowed to proceed,.
Community Water Alliance petition to council over the deal

A deal that stinks

Much has been said about the deal between the council and Geogenix and most talk has been negative. The deal stinks of corruption and favouritism. It is not even clear if other participants were allowed to apply for the role which Geogenix got and it is reminiscent of the Drax scandal which had similar features such as an opaque origin, the same beneficiary and inflated prices that made little sense and were at the expense of the wider public. It is very unlikely the deal with surviving but just like with the Drax deal you can expect the architects of this deal to walk away with something.