Online Reporter
Rutendo Nyeve recently in Hwange
COAL mining companies in Hwange l have unveiled plans to refurbish the critical railway line linking the coal fields to their markets.
The move is expected to enhance logistics efficiencies and ease the bulk cargo burden on the national roads infrastructure.
The railway to the north was in the 1890s routed through the Hwange coal fields, where fuel for the steam locomotives was mined, to ensure that the rail system could then carry the coal wherever needed in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana and central Mozambique.
The eventual return to rail as a goal was stressed during the recent visit to Hwange by Vice President, Dr Constantino Chiwenga, as part of his Matabeleland regional tour to assess key economic development projects.
The VP began his tour in Matabeleland South two weeks back and moved to Matabeleland North before concluding the visit with Bulawayo last Friday.
The move to expand the railway local network within the Hwange coal mining area has received the full backing of the Government and is aimed to create an efficient and cost-effective logistics corridor for the booming mining industry in the region.
VP Chiwenga confirmed that the companies are finalising a position paper detailing their execution strategy, which will be presented to the Office of the President and Cabinet for approval.
“One of the enablers for the Hwange coal business is to have an efficient transport system and the only efficient transport system is the railway,” he said.
“So they are drafting their paper, which they told me is almost done, which will come to the Office of the President and Cabinet. They, with the other companies here, can refurbish the railway line, which will then take the products to the markets,” said VP Chiwenga. “That is what we would want to see and that is what we have to encourage them.”
The announcement has been met with optimism, highlighting the railway’s pivotal role in the economy insofar as easing the business cost drivers is concerned.
In an interview, Minister of State for Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs and Devolution Richard Moyo said the collaborative effort by the Hwange Colliery Company management and other coal mining companies in Hwange would be a game-changer in revamping the railway line.
“We would be very happy as a province because, as we speak, though the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls is undergoing construction works, if these trucks continue to use the road, it will not be as durable as we expect,” he said.
“So if the completion of the road works coincides with that of the railway line, this will enable coal to be moved by rail while the road is used for light traffic. As a province, we fully support this idea by the Hwange Colliery Company and other companies to refurbish the railway line.”
