Harare residents are unknowingly shouldering the financial burden of a secretive waste management deal that is draining US$2.7 million from the city’s funds each month.
A controversial agreement, signed in November 2024 between the City of Harare, the Ministry of Local Government, and Geo Pomona Waste Management, is under heavy scrutiny. Experts and civil society organisations say the deal reeks of corruption, lacks transparency, and reflects deep-rooted political favouritism.
A leaked 31-page contract obtained by Dug Up, an investigative platform, shows how the deal disguised in bureaucratic language effectively transfers the full financial responsibility for refuse collection to Harare’s residents. While the ministry appears to play a supervisory role, Clause 23 clearly states that the Harare City Council must collect payments from residents, surrender control of its financial account, and guarantee payments to Geo Pomona regardless of service quality.
The five-year deal guarantees the company US$2.7 million per month, or US$162 million over its lifetime. The firm is led by Dilesh Nguwaya, a controversial businessman with close links to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, previously involved in a COVID-19 procurement scandal tied to Drax International.
Awarded without a competitive tender process, the contract flouted normal procurement rules. To make matters worse, evidence suggests GeoPomona lacked the basic equipment to carry out its duties when operations were meant to begin in February 2025. Their own website admitted months later that garbage trucks were still “on the way.”
The parent company, Geogenix BV, is associated with Mirel Mertiri, an Albanian businessman facing corruption charges in his home country over similar waste incineration contracts. Notably, Harare previously cancelled a 2022 agreement with Geogenix due to its exploitative nature—yet this new deal mirrors the same terms, at an even higher cost.
Under the current contract, Geo Pomona has sweeping control over garbage collection and street cleaning, while the central government escapes financial liability. Instead, Harare’s city council is made the middleman—tasked with extracting payments from residents and passing them on to both the ministry and the company, even when service is minimal or absent.
This structure allows government actors to publicly distance themselves while quietly managing the money flow. The result: ordinary residents pay more while receiving little to no improvement in services, and a politically connected company earns guaranteed profits.
One of the most surprising developments came when Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume, once a fierce critic of the Pomona contract, approved the revised version in October 2024. His approval came shortly after his reinstatement following a tense leadership struggle within the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC).
Sources allege that Mafume is receiving a US$200,000 monthly kickback, though he has denied these claims. He maintains that the government is covering the payments, but the contract text contradicts him. His sudden change of position has raised eyebrows—particularly given that Sengezo Tshabangu, a CCC faction leader, has recently aligned more closely with the ruling Zanu PF.
Despite lofty promises to transform waste management in Harare, Geo Pomona’s performance has been dismal. Investigations in areas like Mbare, Kuwadzana, Warren Park, and Highfields found little to no consistent service. Residents say waste was briefly collected in February, only for the company to disappear afterward.
With refuse mounting on street corners, many residents have turned to illegal dumping or open burning. Nonetheless, Geo Pomona is reportedly planning to roll out this flawed model nationwide, following a Belarusian truck import deal secured by Nguwaya during a state visit with President Mnangagwa.
Activists and watchdog groups are sounding alarms. The Harare Residents Trust has condemned the contract as a classic case of “cartel economics,” accusing the government of disguising a money-laundering operation as urban development. Director Precious Shumba described the agreement as an effort to redirect public funds into private hands under the pretence of improving service delivery.
“This isn’t about cleaning Harare,” Shumba said. “It’s about legalised plunder.”
What was supposed to fix Harare’s waste crisis has instead exposed a deeper governance issue—marked by elite enrichment, lack of oversight, and disregard for citizens’ needs. With residents funding an inefficient and exploitative system, the price of corruption is becoming visible in every uncollected pile of garbage.
As the waste crisis deepens, so do the questions:
Who authorised this deal? Who is profiting? And why are Harare’s citizens being forced to pay the price for political agreements masked as service delivery?
