Online Reporter
Theseus Shambare recently in Manhize
A drive across Harare tells its own story.
The skyline is changing — steel and iron jut from new residential blocks in Highlands Park and Hatcliffe, beams brace shopping complexes in Highfield and Chitungwiza, while warehouses along Seke Road stand tall in their metal skeletons.
Each new structure mirrors recovery, resilience and ambition.
Yet behind urban optimism lies a persistent challenge vexing Zimbabwe and the wider SADC region: steel, the backbone of modern industry, has been scarce, expensive and heavily imported for over two decades.
A Regional challenge
Since the collapse of Zisco Steel in the early 2000s, Zimbabwe has been spending roughly US$400 million annually importing steel, mostly from South Africa and China.
Many SADC countries, including Zambia, Malawi, Botswana and Mozambique, face similar burdens.
Imports inflate infrastructure costs and drain foreign currency.
“Every tonne of imported steel is a tonne of opportunity lost for our region. SADC cannot industrialise sustainably if it relies on imports for its most basic building block,” said Engineer Ambrose Matanhire, an urban planner.
The SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap (2015–2063) underlines this reality: the region forfeits billions each year by importing manufactured goods, undermining local industries and jobs.
Lessons from the past
Zimbabwe already knows what steel can build.
At its peak in the 1980s and 1990s, Zisco Steel produced close to one million tonnes of steel annually and gave life to entire towns.
Redcliff rose around Zisco’s furnaces, while Kwekwe thrived with Lancashire Steel.
These towns were more than industrial hubs, they were communities, complete with schools, clinics, markets and recreation.
Steel companies went further, investing in football clubs that became national symbols.
ZiscoSteel FC and Lancashire Steel FC played in the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League, bringing pride and identity to their towns.
Talents like Paul Gundani, who rose through Ziscosteel FC and Lancashire Steel before earning national caps and Luke Petros Jukulile, a midfielder who transitioned from Lancashire to international stages, are living proof that these plants were incubators not only for industry but for culture and human potential.
Manhize now rekindles those memories but on a much larger scale.
A leadership vision aligned
Handing over the SADC Chairmanship recently, President Mnangagwa placed industrialisation at the heart of regional renewal.
“As the peoples of the SADC region, let us celebrate our shared vision of an integrated, industrialised, prosperous and peaceful region. We must scale up our collective efforts to value-add and beneficiate our natural resources,” he said.
President Mnangagwa stressed that youth, women and skilled professionals are the “key catalysts” of this transformation.
Taking over the reins, new SADC Chair President Andry Rajoelina of Madagascar reinforced the vision: “It is time to industrialise more, to better connect our economies and to strengthen our collective autonomy.”
Together, these leaders position Manhize not only as a Zimbabwean project but as a beacon of industrial resurgence for the entire region.
The breakthrough
In Manhize, near Mvuma, this vision is being realised.
The US$1,5 billion Dinson Iron and Steel Company (DISCO) plant has roared to life, an integrated hub combining iron ore mining, carbon steel production and rolling mills.
Currently producing over 600 tonnes per day, the plant is targeting five million tonnes annually, five times Zisco’s historical output and positioning Zimbabwe as one of Africa’s steel giants.
“Zimbabwe has been importing around 100 000 tonnes of steel reinforcement bars annually at a cost of US$68 million.
“At full throttle, Manhize will cut that bill by up to 90 percent,” said DISCO project director Mr Wilfred Motsi.
Re-imagining communities
The vision extends far beyond steel.
Manhize is being reimagined as a smart city anchored by a Pan-African Science University, where industry, housing and digital innovation converge to create a futuristic community.
As Redcliff and Kwekwe once flourished around Zisco and Lancashire Steel, so too can Manhize anchor new opportunities schools, clinics, shopping centres and homes designed for the future.
Regional integration in action
Dinson CEO Ben Xu, locally known as Tanaka Shumba, said Manhize’s impact will stretch beyond Zimbabwe.
“Our goal is to make Manhize a benchmark for African steel production that competes globally.
“Exports will flow to Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Botswana and even the DRC,” he said.
Regional trade experts argue this is a breakthrough moment.
“SADC’s intra-manufactured goods trade sits under 20 percent. Locally produced steel can fast-track infrastructure development, strengthen manufacturing, and empower participation in the AfCFTA,” said Dr Patience Moyo, a trade analyst based in Gaborone.
The $400 million question
The US$400 million Zimbabwe spends on steel imports annually could fund other national priorities if saved.
To put it into perspective, this amount is equivalent to building over 100 modern secondary schools, or equipping hundreds of rural clinics with solar power, medicines and ambulances each year.
“For ordinary people, that saving means more teachers, more nurses, better hospitals and more classrooms,” said economist Mr Shepherd Dube.
“It is not just about steel, it is about freeing resources to improve lives.”
Jobs, energy and community impact
Beyond steel, Manhize is changing lives.
Over 2 000 direct jobs have been created, with projections of up to 10 000 as operations expand.
Tens of thousands more will benefit in downstream sectors.
Local markets now bustle with vendors and transport operators.
Training programmes are nurturing welders, mechanics, and heavy machinery technicians.
“Before, I thought I would never work. Now I am gaining skills that will support my family and open regional doors,” said 24-year-old trainee technician Tendai Ncube.
Energy needs are being addressed too.
A thermal power station currently producing 50 MW, with expansion to 70 MW planned, will serve both the plant and the national grid.
Policy and partnerships
During a site visit recently, Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Dr Jenfan Muswere linked Manhize directly to Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030 and National Development Strategy 1 goals.
“Manhize demonstrates commitment to value addition, beneficiation and industrialisation. It positions Zimbabwe and Southern Africa for global trade competitiveness,” he said.
Professor Elias Mwamba of the University of Zambia added: “SADC’s industrialisation depends on strong local manufacturing bases. Steel is foundational, it underpins energy, housing, transport and agriculture.”
Towards a regional renaissance
From Harare’s growing skyline to Manhize’s molten furnaces, Southern Africa’s story of industrial emergence is unfolding.
For Zimbabwe, Manhize signals sovereignty and revival.
For SADC, it heralds a new era of manufacturing, trade integration and resilience.
With every beam and rod leaving Manhize, the dream of self-reliance and shared prosperity moves from vision to reality.
