Kwekwe City Council has signalled a major shift in how it plans to tackle its growing solid waste challenges, turning to private-sector expertise after councillors were exposed to Zimbabwe’s flagship waste-to-energy project in Harare.
The council has resolved to work with Geo Pomona Waste Management to oversee and improve operations at Kwekwe’s two dumpsites, marking a departure from traditional dump-and-forget practices towards a more structured and environmentally conscious waste management model.
The decision followed a familiarisation tour of Geo Pomona’s Pomona waste-to-energy facility on Friday by a delegation of councillors led by Mayor Councillor Albert Zinhanga. The visit, described as both educational and eye-opening, was followed by a special council meeting at which councillors agreed that Kwekwe could no longer afford to maintain the status quo in waste management.
Speaking after the meeting, Clr Zinhanga said the tour reinforced a position the council had already been considering.
“After touring the Pomona dumpsite and seeing what they have been doing, we resolved to work with them,” he said.
“We had already done our research and discussed this among ourselves as councillors. The visit simply affirmed the decision we had taken at council to partner with Geo Pomona in solid waste management.”
The partnership is expected to leverage Geo Pomona’s technical expertise and operational experience as Kwekwe seeks sustainable solutions to long-standing waste disposal problems that have posed environmental and public health risks.
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Geo Pomona chief executive officer and executive chairman, Dr Dilesh Nguwaya, said the company was ready to support local authorities beyond Harare.
“The City of Kwekwe came to appreciate what we are doing and to learn from our experience,” he said.
“They want to tap into our knowledge and apply it in Kwekwe. Geo Pomona is ready to work with local authorities and expand this model across the country.”
Town clerk Dr Lucia Mkandla said the exposure to the Pomona project had transformed how local authorities perceive waste management, shifting the focus from disposal to value creation.
“We used to think these solutions were only available abroad,” she said.
“What we have seen here has changed how we think about waste management and development. It gives us confidence that we are moving in the right direction.”
While the operational modalities between Kwekwe City Council management and Geo Pomona are still being finalised, council officials indicated that the political decision to pursue the partnership has already been made.
Meanwhile, the Pomona waste-to-energy project continues to progress, with several components completed and others at advanced stages, offering a practical example of how urban waste can be managed more sustainably in Zimbabwe.
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