THE saga concerning a Harare City Council (HCC) deal with Nanotech Water Solutions (Pvt) Ltd from South Africa has deepened amid reports that the agreement did not yield desired results.
This emerged when council officials appeared before the commission of inquiry looking into the affairs of Harare yesterday.
The commission is investigating the financial management systems and other businesses of the local authority from 2017 to date.
In May this year, President Emmerson Mnangagwa appointed the commission chaired by retired judge Justice Maphios Cheda.
Allegations are that in 2020, Nanotech was awarded a contract to supply, install and commission chlorine dioxide water treatment technology at Morton Jaffray Water Treatment Works and payment was made in 2022.
According to minutes of the council environmental management committee meeting held recently, only US$189 000 of the US$1,1 million advance payment was acquitted.
Appearing before the commission yesterday, ward 43 Budiriro councillor Blessing Duma said there was institutionalised corruption at the council.
He said council was not obligated to make any advance payments while the terms of the contract stated that payment was only due after Nanotech had successfully delivered water to the city.
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“When we dig deeper, we read the MoU [memorandum of understanding], City of Harare was not even supposed to pay a cent because the MoU is very clear that the City of Harare would do certain things. Then Nanotech would provide its equipment and everything on site,” Duma said.
“Those people knew the MoU. It was the chamber secretary who signed all the contracts and all the agreements of the city. They knew the contents of the MoU.”
Duma said Nanotech assured council that on payment of US$1,1 million, Harare would receive a substantial inflow of clean water within three to five days.
“On August 30, 2022, there was a special council (meeting) that we were going for and a certain company called and Nanotech gave a presentation of a solution for water chemicals,” he said.
“When they gave that presentation, they promised that when we pay US$1,1 million within three days, Harare will be flooded with water. Three years down the line, nothing has happened.
“In that presentation, they said they will give us water if we give them US$1,1 million. There was an MoU that was there on that day and council resolved that after they gave the presentations, ‘that’s okay, we can buy the MoU and you guys we will give you water in two to five days’.”
