admin
Joseph Madzimure
Senior Reporter
The Second Republic’s policies, such as “Zimbabwe is Open for Business,” are bearing fruit, with the Chinese-owned Huaxin Zimbabwe (Pvt) Limited, a global cement giant, expected to start production next month.
One of the world’s top cement producers, Huaxin Cement Co Ltd from China, has invested US$15 million in a manufacturing plant in Zimbabwe.
With an asset base of more than US$25 billion globally, Huaxin Zimbabwe (Private) Limited will produce 300 000 tonnes of cement per year.
Sitting on a five-hectare piece of land in Mt Hampden, the company expects to increase its production capacity to 1 million tonnes if it can access more lime reserves.
The company is taking advantage of the opportunities created by the Second Republic’s policies, such as the “Zimbabwe is Open for Business” mantra, which has attracted millions of dollars in investment and transformed many lives.
A team of Chinese experts toured the plant yesterday to assess the progress made so far at the construction site, which is almost 70 percent complete.
In an interview after the tour, Huaxin Zimbabwe director Mr Clemence Gomba stated that Zimbabwe will soon become a hub for cement manufacturing.
“We established the company last month and we are now at 70 percent completion. We expect the plant to be commissioned in the first quarter of January next year,” said Mr. Gomba.
He added that the construction of the plant is progressing well and is expected to be completed by December 27 of this year.
“We are going to have a test run at the end of December, with commissioning of the plant expected in early January next year,” he said.
The company has already set up cement silos with a carrying capacity of 48 000 tonnes per month.
“The cement silos are already in place, and some of the equipment needed to complete the setting up of the plant is in transit from South Africa. Each silo will have a capacity of 24 000 tonnes per month,” he noted.
The cement manufacturer will produce at least 300,000 tonnes annually.
Huaxin has a presence in Malawi, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and other countries across the globe.
Online Reporter