Of Deals And Urban Governance: The Case Of Pomona Waste To Energy Project In Harare, Zimbabwe

Authors

  • JOHN P. MAKETO Department of Programming, Monitoring Evaluation and Learning at Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD), Harare, Zimbabwe Author
  • INNOCENT CHIRISA 2 Office of the Vice Chancellor, Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University, Bindura, Zimbabwe; Department of Urban & Regional Planning, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa Author
  • VINCENT CHAKUNDA Governance and Public Management, Midlands State University, Gweru, Zimbabwe Author

Keywords:

corruption, participatory, governance, transparency, Accountability

Abstract

The article deploys a desktop approach to examine the Pomona Waste to Energy Project in Harare, demonstrating how corruption within urban governments disproportionately affects public service delivery. The principal secondary sources of data used are policy documents, academic literature and newspaper articles. The key problem relates to the presence of unfettered central government interference in local governance through the Minister responsible for Local Government. The article demonstrates that through the project, privatisation and subsequent forms of public-private partnerships (PPPs) have been sanctioned. Based on the study findings, the article concludes that the design of a city-level management system, that includes democratic structures with checks and balances between the executive and legislature and between state agencies and civil society, must be supplemented by broader citizen participation to ensure that decisions are made in the best interests of the public.

Author Biography

  • INNOCENT CHIRISA, 2 Office of the Vice Chancellor, Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University, Bindura, Zimbabwe; Department of Urban & Regional Planning, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa

    Innocent Chirisa, the Vice Chancellor of the Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University (ZEGU) is a Full Professor in Urban and Regional Planning. Has a keen interest in urban and peri-urban dynamics. Currently focusing on environmental systems dynamics with respect to land-use, ecology, water and energy. Holds a DPhil in Social Sciences. Prof Chirisa is also currently a Research Fellow with the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of the Free State, South Africa. He has also served as a Visiting Professor at the Chinhoyi University of Technology (Zimbabwe). He is an external examiner for the Department of Geography, Bindura University of Science Education (Zimbabwe) and the Department of Regional and Urban Planning, University of Venda (SA). He has also served in the same capacity with the Great Zimbabwe University. Membership of Professional Associations: Fellow of the Pan-African Scientific Research Council (FPASRC); Member of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS); Member of the American Association of Geographers (AAG); Member of the American Political Science Association (APSA); Member of the Global Land Programme (GLP); Member of the Research and Development Committee of the Health Professions Committee (R&D-HPA (of Zimbabwe)); Member of the International Society for Urban Health (ISUH); Member of the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP); Member of the Organisation for Social Science Research in Eastern & Southern Africa (OSSREA); Member of the Zimbabwe Institute for Urban and Regional Planners (ZIRUP) innocent.chirisa@gmail.com

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Published

2024-10-14

Issue

Volume 2, Issues 1 and 2 (2023)

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Of Deals And Urban Governance: The Case Of Pomona Waste To Energy Project In Harare, Zimbabwe. (2024). Futures: The Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University Journal of Leadership, Governance and Development, 2(1 & 2), Pages: 88 - 105. http://journals.zegu.ac.zw/index.php/futures/article/view/196

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