Madzimure demand answers on why July Moyo is trying to force another rubbish deal at Harare #StopTheRubbishDeal
Kambuzuma legislator Willias Madzimure has demanded that Local Government Minister July Moyo should bring a ministerial statement to explain why he is trying to rope in the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) to collect garbage in Harare against its mandate.
EMA which is a statutory board is supposed to play a regulatory and monitoring role on how people and organisations utilise the environment and natural resources.
However, the government through Minister July Moyo is trying give EMA the responsibility of collecting garbage in Harare.Under the proposed deal, EMA which does not own refuse trucks will contract private players to do the job and then ask Harare to settle the bill.
The proposed move has similarities with the Geogenix BV deal, which was rejected by the council and Honourable Madzimure says the minister must explain.
Speaking in the NationalAssembly, Honourable Madzimure said EMA has no mandate of collecting garbage.
“Mr. Speaker, on 18th February, 2023, the Government announced that it was going to enact a Statutory Instrument to enable EMA to sub-contract private players to collect refuse. The reason advanced by Government was that refuse collection situation was bad.
“The proposed arrangement is that EMA will contract private companies to collect refuse and EMA would then bill the City of Harare for those services.
“EMA is a statutory body which is responsible for ensuring the sustainable management of the environment and making laws to that effect.
“The role of the Ministry of Local Government is to make sure that local authorities have their share of the devolution funds and also facilitating the local authorities to be able to fund themselves, to be able to equip themselves.
“So the situation we now have is that EMA which has no mandate to collect refuse in Harare is going to do so. It is going to contract private players without the involvement of the City of Harare but at the end of the day, EMA would then want the City of Harare to assume the responsibility of paying private players whom they have got no contract with.
“This is also against the Public Finance Management Act. So we would want the Minister of Local Government to come and explain why they have not capacitated the City of Harare to a level where it can have its compactors, graders, front-end loaders to remove the garbage because the arrangement is going to cost the City of Harare and the residents will not be part of that contract.
“So there will be a dispute between the residents and the Local Government authorities and even EMA itself. EMA cannot have its cake and eat it. It has the responsibility of making sure that the refuse is collected and all the laws are observed. Where it thinks a new law has to be introduced, EMA has that responsibility.
“So I would beg you Mr. Speaker that the Minister of Local Government comes to this House with a Ministerial Statement explaining to this House why he would want a Statutory Instrument to collect refuse in Harare.
Madzimure demand answers on why July Moyo is trying to force another rubbish deal at Harare
