Online Reporter
Judith Phiri, [email protected]
THE Zanu PF Secretary for Information and Publicity, Ambassador Christopher Mutsvangwa, has called for Special Economic Zones (SEZ) status to be extended to the whole of Bulawayo rather than only a few designated areas, saying the move is critical to the city’s efforts to reclaim its industrial hub status.
Speaking at the official opening of the Bulawayo Investment Indaba on Friday, Amb Mutsvangwa said Bulawayo’s industrial identity was historically anchored on the production of steel by Zisco Steel.
“Somehow Zisco Steel collapsed and raw materials disappeared, that’s how production from industries in this city (Bulawayo) was affected. We now have Dinson Iron and Steel Company (DISCO) Manhize Steel Plant, make use of it to acquire raw materials for your foundries as you repurpose the city,” he said.
“I believe the city needs to be granted the SEZ status as a whole. So, as we expect the steel industry of Zimbabwe to grow, Bulawayo then becomes a manufacturer of downstream steel products.”
He said Bulawayo was also strategically located, serving as a central axis and primary gateway for road and rail networks linking the country to South Africa, Botswana and Zambia.
Amb Mutsvangwa said DISCO’s Manhize Steel Plant in Mvuma was one of the largest integrated steel facilities in Africa and a subsidiary of Tsingshan Holding Group of China, one of the world’s largest stainless steel producers.
He said the plant’s establishment had created an opportunity for Bulawayo to revive its steel-dependent industries.
“President Mnangagwa’s ‘open for business’ policy and the Second Republic’s investment climate drove the creation of the US$1.5 billion DISCO plant in Manhize. If foundries from South Africa are coming and getting steel from Manhize for their fabrication, why can we not revive the foundries here in Bulawayo and get steel easily locally here in the country,” he said.
Amb Mutsvangwa emphasised that steel production was back in the country, with the Manhize plant producing pig iron, steel billets and reinforcement bars and scaling its output to hundreds of thousands of tonnes.
He said the opportunity should not only benefit outside competitors acquiring steel from Zimbabwe, when local industries, particularly in Bulawayo, could use the raw materials for further processing and value addition.
“The two-day event is being held under the theme: ‘Unlocking Strategic Investment Opportunities for Sustainable Industrial Transformation.’
