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Business Reporter
A LOCAL manufacturing company, Labantu Resources (Pvt) Limited, has embarked on a homegrown innovation project to produce self-spraying sanitation booths that businesses can use to fight the spread of Covid-19.
The firm is a subsidiary of Tamuda Investment Group (TIG), a steel and engineering company with a factory in Bulawayo’s Belmont Industrial Site.
Labantu Resources chairman Mr Terry Kumira said the self-spraying sanitation booth was being manufactured at their factory in Bulawayo.
“Labantu Resources has adapted and is manufacturing self-spraying sanitation booths intended for entry ways into offices, shops, mines, factories, schools, and hospitals, among others,” he said.
“Manufacturing of the sanitation booths is based in Bulawayo and capacity to reach every point in Zimbabwe.”
Mr Kumira the innovation was part of their contribution in the fight against Covid-19 as well as promoting hygiene in the country during and beyond the global pandemic. He said the self-spraying sanitation booths use an environmentally-friendly sanitising solution that is sprayed as a light mist when an individual walks through the booth.
“The light mist solution is strong enough to kill the virus on clothing and skin surfaces without dampening the clothes worn or skin. The solution is considered mostly safe for skin contact,” he said.
The project also adds impetus to the labour market by creating jobs especially at a time when the country’s economy has not been sparred from the adverse effects of the global pandemic.
“Through our production of the sanitation booths, we anticipate job creation and the targeted alleviation of high unemployment rates at a time of economic strain on our people.
“Most importantly, we aim to reduce virus spread and in turn the impact of Covid-19 on the economy as more industries can resume business safely by employing the sanitation booths to sanitise staff and customers on their respective premises,” said Mr Kumira.
The sanitation booths, which Labantu Resources is producing can be customised as per customer’s specifications based on volumes that move into the respective spaces.
Furthermore, the materials used to produce the sanitation booths at the company’s manufacturing plant in Belmont Industrial Site depend on the businesses and their functions, he explained.
The latest project by the firm whose parent firm, TIG is wholly-owned by Zimbabweans in the diaspora and is headquartered in South Africa, is in sync with the Government’s repeated calls for the private sector to embark on research and development that offer homegrown solutions to the challenges bedevilling the country.
“At this point, each country is looking for homegrown solutions to help curb Covid-19 and to that end we are happy to offer this solution, sanitation booths, that will go a long way in assisting the Government’s efforts,” said Mr Kumira.
As part of broad and emergency measures by the Government to contain the spread of the deadly infectious disease in the country, President Mnangagwa last Friday again extended the national lockdown period whose initial 14-day extension period was expiring on May 3 by an additional two weeks.
Announcing the national lockdown extension, the President allowed the re-opening of some companies in the formal sector while the informal sector remains closed.
Since the outbreak of the disease in the country in March, Zimbabwe has recorded more than 30 confirmed cases with four deaths.
The global pandemic was first detected in China last December and 3,42 million cases have so far been confirmed worldwide with 244 000 deaths.
It is hoped that the coming on board of the new project by the Bulawayo-based firm will add impetus to the labour market through employment creation as Labantu has the capacity to produce a significant number of sanitation booths per day.
“We are targeting the youth for employment in this project in a bid to empower and offer skilling opportunities to the youth. The project further presents opportunity for downstream industry to supply input materials as the manufacturing plant aims to be completely localised,” said Mr Kumira.
He said it was vital that industries engage vigilant minimisation of the spread of the virus as they resume operations post lockdown period.
“Placement of sanitation booths at entry points of all public access premises country-wide will go a long way towards curbing virus spread.
“A major concern in this pandemic period has been social gatherings and controlling virus spread in those contexts,” said Mr Kumira.
As a result of the above concern, Labantu Resources is also availing rental sanitation booths for events and gatherings, such as funerals to control the spread of the virus and curb infection rates.
Online Reporter