dyton mupawaenda
Ivan Zhakata-Herald Correspondent
LOCAL bus manufacturing companies want Government to support them in growing the industry by buying locally manufactured and assembled buses, rather than importing fully built vehicles.
The Industrial Development Corporation, through its bus and trucking manufacturing subsidiary, Deven Engineering, started assembling buses in March this year.
Speaking at the value chains review workshop in Harare yesterday, AVM Africa managing director Mr Jacob Kupa said for the bus manufacturing industry to grow and contribute to economic expansion, they needed the Government’s support.
The industry had the capacity to manufacture buses needed in the country but wanted support to enable then to produce. “We are operating at five percent capacity and we are producing about five buses per month when we can actually produce 40 buses per month,” he said.
“Government is the biggest buyer of buses and when we say Government, we are talking about Government itself and parastatals like Zupco, which is a major off-taker of buses. If we get orders from the biggest off-taker, then the bus manufacturing industry will be back on its feet and that is all that we want.
“Zupco supports us here and there because we do some refurbishments of their old buses but we feel they need to do more. As a bus manufacturer, we are not looking for funding, but we are looking for orders because once we have orders, we then know what to do.”
Mr Kupa said at AVM they have a 5ha factory and they used to employ over 4 000 workers, but currently they have just above 150 as most of their plant is laying idle.
Secretary for Industry and Commerce Dr Thomas Utete Ushe said they were behind bus manufacturers and the thinking of tackling industrialisation through value chains.
“We need to be cognisant of the traverse we have moved technologically so we want a relevant bus or a relevant truck to our needs,” he said.
“Most importantly, a truck and bus must be liked by our people first before we even think of exporting it to other countries.”
He said they were also aware of the crippling power shortages cutting across the whole of Southern Africa and Zimbabwe had not been spared. Government was working tirelessly to resolve the challenge.
“I urge all stakeholders to support the Government’s endeavours by establishing environmentally friendly energy plants, including solar and biogas, among others,” he said.
“Such initiatives allow you to tap into developed markets in Europe, where consumers are increasingly concerned about consuming products that have been produced with minimal adverse impact on the environment.”
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