US$160m scandal as Geo Pomona smiles all the way to the bank

📅 Published: August 21, 2025

Curated by AllZimNews.com

Its chairman and chief executive, Dilesh Nguwaya, is close to President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s family and a frequent guest at state functions.

An investigation by The Standard, with support from Information for Development Trust (IDT), a non-profit media organisation promoting investigative journalism in Zimbabwe and the Sadc region, uncovered a tripartite contract between council, the Local Government ministry and Geo Pomona that critics say could be used to milk the struggling local authority’s coffers dry while doing little to alleviate Harare’s deepening waste collection crisis.

Clause 22 of the contract says Geo Pomona is supposed to bill the government as the contracting partner, giving the impression that it is the Local Government ministry that has the responsibility to finance the refuse collection and street cleaning project.

However, the fine print reveals that the burden to pay Geo Pomona rests with the City of Harare (CoH) and, ultimately, ratepayers.

Under Clause 23 of the contract, the municipality is forced to open its revenue account for scrutiny by the government for purposes of billing and CoH is supposed to collect money from ratepayers for the work that Geo Pomona would have done. “The client (CoH) shall continue to charge, bill and collect fees for services being provided by the contractor (Geo Pomona). “The client shall remit to the contracting party (government), all revenue collected from users for services being provided by the contractor in terms of this contract. “At all times during the duration of this contract, (the) contracting party shall be allowed access to the client’s revenue account to determine the performance/execution of work and settlements of payments due to the contractor,” reads the leaked contract that the government and the other parties have kept under wraps.

In effect, it is the ratepayers who will foot the waste collection and street cleaning bill.

Geo Pomona, fronted by Nguwaya wasinitially imposed on Harare City Councilin 2022 by the Local Government and Public Works ministry to manage the Pomona dump site on a build operate and transfer arrangement.

Its parent company Geogenix BV, which is registered in the Netherlands, is linked to Albanian businessman Mirel Mertiri, who has faced a string of corruption charges in his own country linked to the setting up of incinerators.

Nguwaya, who was acquitted by the courts after he was charged over US$60 million Covid-19 procurement contracts with his other company Drax International in 2020, is Geo Pomona’s local front. 🔗

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