From Squalor to Sanitation: Geo Pomona Rewrites Zimbabwe’s Urban Cleanliness

Geo-Pomona

By Talent Chimutambgi 

For years, mountains of uncollected refuse had become an ugly and dangerous signature of many Zimbabwean towns. From high-density suburbs to bustling marketplaces, garbage is piled endlessly, blocking roads, choking drainage systems, and turning residential areas into breeding grounds for disease. Ratepayers watched helplessly as local authorities, constrained by limited resources and operational challenges, failed to provide consistent refuse collection services, leaving communities exposed to recurring outbreaks of cholera, typhoid, and malaria.

It is against this grim backdrop that Geo Pomona Waste Management has emerged as a timely and transformative intervention, restoring dignity, safety, and cleanliness to urban life. What began as a focused waste management programme in Harare has since expanded steadily, spreading across the country to other towns and cities where refuse collection had all but collapsed.

Before this intervention, uncollected rubbish had become a permanent feature in many neighbourhoods, with residents forced to dump waste at undesignated sites due to the absence of safe disposal points. In some areas, garbage had accumulated for years, normalising squalor and exposing children, the elderly, and other vulnerable groups to serious health risks. Pools of stagnant water trapped in refuse dumps provided ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes, increasing the threat of malaria, while decomposing waste contaminated water sources and the general environment.

Geo Pomona Waste Management’s entry into the sector marked a decisive break from this cycle of neglect. The company rolled out large, strategically positioned refuse bins across townships, central business districts, and high-traffic public spaces, ensuring that residents once again had access to safe and convenient waste disposal facilities. These bins are not merely symbolic installations; they are collected and serviced regularly by a visible fleet of refuse collection vehicles that now move consistently through residential and commercial areas.

Beyond refuse collection, the company has also deployed teams of street sweepers who work daily across towns to ensure that cleanliness is sustained. These personnel can be seen sweeping streets, pavements, and public spaces every day, reinforcing a culture of cleanliness and ensuring that the clean environment dwells with the people rather than being a once-off exercise. Their constant presence has transformed the outlook of many urban spaces, turning once filthy streets into orderly and hygienic environments.

The impact of this intervention has been immediate and striking. Streets that were once clogged with waste are now passable and clean. Residential areas previously associated with foul odours and health hazards are regaining their dignity and appeal. Residents, long accustomed to broken promises, are openly celebrating what many describe as a long-overdue milestone. Cleanliness, once thought an impossible luxury, has become a daily reality.

This transformation has come at a critical moment for the nation. Geo Pomona’s initiative aligns seamlessly with Zimbabwe’s broader development agenda, particularly Vision 2030, which seeks to propel the country towards an Upper Middle-Income Economy. Central to this vision, as articulated by President Emmerson Mnangagwa, is the creation of clean, orderly, and healthy cities that support productivity, tourism, and investment.

The company’s work also complements the Presidential Clean-Up Programme, conducted every first Friday of each month, which calls on citizens to take collective responsibility for their environment. While the clean-up campaign emphasises community participation, Geo Pomona has provided the critical operational backbone, the infrastructure, manpower, machinery, and technical expertise required to ensure that waste is not only collected, but properly managed continuously.

Of particular note is Geo Pomona’s advanced waste management technology. The company boasts one of the most sophisticated waste processing machines on the continent, if not the only one of its kind in Africa. This technological capacity has attracted attention beyond Zimbabwe’s borders, drawing interest from across the Sadc region and positioning the country as an emerging reference point in modern and sustainable waste management practices.

What makes this development even more compelling is that problems long regarded as perennial and therefore unsolvable have proven surmountable with the right intervention. Where despair once reigned, optimism now thrives. Residents speak of renewed pride in their neighbourhoods and a restored sense of civic responsibility, encouraged by the visible results of effective service delivery and daily maintenance.

Recycling Site

Geo Pomona Waste Management has demonstrated that clean cities are not an abstract aspiration but an achievable goal. By stepping in where systems had faltered, the company has not only cleared garbage but has also uplifted communities that endured years of neglect. In doing so, it has helped reclaim public spaces, protect public health, and advance the national vision of a cleaner, healthier, and more prosperous Zimbabwe.

As the programme continues to spread to more towns, one lesson stands out clearly: with innovation, commitment and sustained action, even the most entrenched urban challenges can be overcome. Zimbabwe’s cleanliness story is being rewritten, and Geo Pomona Waste Management is firmly holding the pen.

Building on Phase 1's successes, where waste targets at Pomona Landfill were smashed through stakeholder donations of tipper trucks, compactors, and loaders, Phase 2 consolidated gains by targeting high-risk hotspots. Phase 3, launched in early 2025 at Glen View, with Minister of Local Government and Public Works Honourable Garwe praised Geo Pomona's Phase 1 and 2 contributions, crediting joint operations for exceeding landfill quotas and transforming squalor into order. Minister of State for Harare Provincial Affairs and

Devolution Senator Tawengwa warned that unmanaged waste breeds pests and repels investors. The phase targets suburb-wide timeous collections, illegal dump clearances, and behavioral change campaigns ensuring "Chenesa 3 mindset" where residents internalize hygiene as routine. Impacts are tangible and transformative. Once-impassable streets now bustle freely; foul odors have vanished from neighborhoods; and vulnerable groups breathe easier without disease threats. Residents voice renewed pride: "We've waited years for this," says a Glen View vendor, as children play safely in swept yards. Beyond refuse, Geo Pomona educates communities on segregation and recycling, fostering long-term stewardship.

Complementing the monthly Presidential Clean-Up Programme, where citizens tidy every first Friday, Geo Pomona supplies the backbone: machinery, manpower, and monitoring tech for continuous, not episodic, results. As Operation Chenesa Guta rolls out nationally, with Geo Pomona gearing for Harare-wide primacy, Zimbabwe's urban renaissance accelerates. Long-deemed intractable, waste woes now yield to innovation, commitment, and leadership, rewriting the nation's story from squalor to sanitation. Clean cities aren't a dream; they're Zimbabwe's new reality.