Pomona Deal Exposes Zanu PF’s Heartless Nature: Sithole

Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) interim Youth Assembly chairperson Tererai Obey Sithole has brushed aside the controversial Pomona waste-to-energy deal between Harare City Council (HCC) and a Netherlands based company, Geogenix BV.

Sithole described the deal as a ‘thievery’ venture by Zanu PF’s Local Government and Public Works minister July Moyo and his cronies.

The deal fronted by Harare businessman Delish Nguwaya, a close ally of President Emmerson Mnangagwa will see HCC parting with US$22 000 a day for dumping a maximum of 500 tonnes of garbage at the Pomona dumpsite despite failing to reach the threshold.

Sithole said this arrangement was nothing but a scandal meant to fatten the pockets of the Zanu PF elites such as Moyo whom he described as ‘heartless’ and only focused on milking already suffering citizens through the local authority.  

He said the whole process exposes the extent at which the regime is prepared to reach by scuttling and twisting Constitutional provisions in the name of profiteering.

“Such a sad reality shows that one July Moyo, assuming that he has a heart as his surname would suggest, is certainly as cold as the month represented by his first name. Finding joy in the lamentation of citizens is his area of specialty as evidenced by his recent shocking intervention vowing that the scandal can only be stopped by judicial action.”

“To say it is a deal will be a misrepresentation of facts, for all intentions and purposes, it is a scandal in shape and form, only designed to milk an already struggling citizenry for the benefit of some ruling elites whose thirst for thievery is unquenchable. Beyond it being scandalous, it also serves to expose how the regime religiously disregards any Constitutional provision in the interest of stealing from the people. The Constitution (Section 274) is very clear that the management of affairs in urban areas is a preserve of local authorities, however, we continue to witness officials from the central government taking turns to shamelessly interfere,” he said. 

Sithole said Moyo and his associates were actually breaking the law and violating procedure by stifling HCC’s efforts to rightfully raise revenue only preferring to milk the authority to the last drop.

“Amongst the functions of local authorities within the parameters of the Law, raising revenue is one of them. Thus, in the face of this issue, this function is heavily defeated as the HCC is subjected to losing revenue daily as opposed to raising as expected. In all this, it is the citizen who will be forced to carry the burden on matters that s/he was not consulted on.

“His defense for such a matter that blatantly violated procedures and does not pass any ethical test only goes to show that there is nothing for the people in it but it has everything to do with their fetid culture of fattening their deep pockets.”

He commended the stance taken by Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume and his Councillors to stop the money making scheme before rallying the citizens to also resist the move as they are the ones who will bear the burden of these unnecessary extra costs.

“I would like to commend the Mayor of Harare, Mafume and his team of CCC councillors for their brave efforts to reverse this messy robbery of the people of Harare albeit serious threats on their lives and work.

“This is one of the many matters within our midst that calls for people’s resistance to stop this madness and vigilance to avoid the same or similar elsewhere in future. An imagination of more years of this kind of regime’s baked idiocy is sickening, he said.

Sithole also encouraged Zimbabweans to vote for CCC leader Nelson Chamisa to put a stop to this rot.

“I therefore also call upon citizens to heed the call to register as voters, make 2023 a year for change and give Nelson Chamisa a chance to lead for guaranteed restoration of the centrality of citizens in decision making,” he said.