Dinson Colliery clinches ZNCC Exporter of the Year

DINSON Colliery, a subsidiary of Tsingshan Holding Group, clinched the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) Exporter of the Year — Mining Award for the Matabeleland region, a significant milestone for the newly-established firm.

The firm is a leading producer of coke in Zimbabwe located in Mpongola Village in Hwange District.

Dinson Colliery is engaged in producing coke, coal tar recovery, coal tar processing and other activities.

Reflecting on the award, sales and marketing officer, Mr Norman Shoko, said the accolade shows that the firm is impactful economically and socially.

“We won the Exporter of the Year Award; we were honoured by the award which means as Dinson Colliery, we are developing on our sales and marketing drive,” said Mr Shoko.

“It also shows that as Dinson Colliery, we are improving in our business venture and we strive to be a coke-producing company of choice in Zimbabwe. We are constructing more coke oven batteries.

“The award also speaks to Dinson Colliery’s economic and social impact in the country,” he said.

Dinson Colliery recently started a test run on its newly-constructed Phase Four consisting of 42 coke oven batteries, a move that aims to enhance the current infrastructure, boost production levels and expand its export footprint.

The 85 coke oven batteries are a crucial component of Phase Four.

Presently, the company operates in three phases, yielding 1 500 tonnes of metallurgical coke daily at a multi-million-dollar vast plant.

Metallurgical coke is in high demand locally and regionally, particularly by smelting companies for their manufacturing processes.

The colliery exports high-quality coke to South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia.

The company’s strategy is to strengthen its competitive position in the coke industry to ensure long-term sustainability.

Mr Shoko said the firm has had a huge economic impact on the community through employment creation.

Dinson Colliery has created about 800 jobs with locals forming the bulk of the workshop.

“We have created employment for more than 800 people with most of them being locals. If Dinson Colliery had not invested here in Hwange, there would be no employment opportunities for locals. The investment has transformed lives.

“For instance, before we invested here, there were hardly any income-generating ventures for locals. In this area, workers have built better homesteads, and shops are realising good sales.”

Mr Shoko added that the firm is going big on its corporate social responsibility thrust.

“We are rehabilitating a section of the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls highway within the Hwange area as part of efforts to complement the Government in infrastructure development.

“This is part of our corporate social responsibility as we would like to ensure our community and all road users are safe. As a growing company, we also look forward to assisting the community in constructing clinics, dip tanks, and drilling boreholes, so we are working closely with the local leadership.

“We need to give back to the community and assist in every way possible to uplift their livelihoods.

“We also assist in transporting learners from St Mary’s and Lukosi Primary to school daily. We look forward to procuring a bus that will also be used to transport our workers,” he added.

Dinson Colliery has in the recent past scooped several awards such as Excellence in Community Empowerment and Social Impact Award as well as Responsible Investment and Social Impact Award.