Chronicle Editor
Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa yesterday officially commissioned a combined US$27 million investment by two Kwekwe companies covering explosives and dairy expansion projects, which are expected to help the country trim imports while creating more job opportunities for locals.
The two companies, Intrachem Explosives and Dendairy Limited, are among the key manufacturing sector players in the Midlands province whose services feed into the country’s robust re-industrialisation drive.
President Mnangagwa, who conducted a tour of the two companies, first commissioned the second phase of the Intrachem Explosives Firm, which saw the establishment of a detonators’ plant to complement the explosives’ plant that was set up in the initial stage.
The company has invested US$7 million in establishing the new plant, which has an import substitution value of up to US$20 million. Intrachem Explosives is 85 percent owned by locals with only 15 percent in the hands of foreign investors.
At Dendairy Limited, President Mnangagwa toured the newly installed maize products unit whose products are earmarked for the export market. Plans are also at an advanced stage for the giant factory to start producing milk from maize among other products.
The new plant was installed in 2020 at a cost of US$3 million, which adds to US$20 million that has been invested since the firm was set up in 2004. Dendairy has a staff complement of 1 500.
President Mnangagwa, who was accompanied by the Minister of Industry and Commerce, Dr Sekai Nzenza, and her Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Development counterpart, Dr Anxious Masuka, said brighter days lie ahead for Zimbabwe in the next five to 10 years as young people were getting on board in driving economic revival in line with Vision 2030.
“The first company we visited this morning is the Intrachem factory, which produces mining explosives. In the past of course here in Kwekwe we had Dyno Nobel Zimbabwe (Pvt) Ltd but it had challenges along the way and now I think it’s a sleeping giant as a result of both management and financial challenges which visited it,” said President Mnangagwa.
“But the new factory that has come in is predominantly run by our young engineers, young engineers from this country who are responding to the Second Republic’s call for value-addition and producing services and goods for our needs in our process and our vision to industrialise and modernise our economy.”
The President said it was pleasing to have young professionals coming back home to invest in the country by creating employment opportunities and products that enhance socio-economic growth.
“I was so pleased that young ‘chaps’ there (Intrachem Explosives) who were working in South Africa…because of the conducive environment we have created, have decided to come back,” he said. “They have set up that factory with US$7 million but they are also expanding. They say the market is huge and are unable to satisfy the market. They are also covering countries like Zambia and the DRC in terms of the export market.
“We said we will do our best as the Government to continue supporting them to expand in that field.”
President Mnangagwa said Intrachem Explosives’ products were of high quality.
“This is because they have the latest technology available on this market established here in Kwekwe,” he said.
On Dendairy, the President said the company has been growing steadily from the time the owners embraced diversification from being just the biggest dairy farmers in the Midlands province.
Narrating how Dendairy Limited came to be, he said: “I remember that some 43- 44 years ago, when I was very close to the Coetzee family, they were the biggest dairy farmers in the Midlands province and down the line we suggested, that is, myself and the father, Mr Coetzee, that it was necessary to enter the dairy product making business because at that time, Dairibord Holdings, was the only company in Harare that was producing very few dairy products but we knew that there were other products, which could come out of milk,” said President Mnangagwa.
He said it was then agreed that a dairy factory be established in Kwekwe.
“So, we agreed to start this factory at that time with the father and the son, Darren, who is here and they began here.
“I’m so pleased; I have been away for more than 10 years but I’m so pleased that today they are producing so many products,” said the President.
“We’ve children’s products that are being produced here like this milk (quarter milk), these are designed for children and it’s critically important that they are serving our community and the technology here is state of the art technology.”
Some of the equipment at Dendairy Limited has been imported from countries such as Germany to give the best products for the nation.
“They have top- top notch technology and most of it is automated. I went into some room, a control room where one young guy controls the whole machinery by just pressing some buttons opening and closing. I asked if I could have that technology to control my ministers,” joked the President.
In line with Vision 2030, President Mnangagwa said he was excited that young people are getting on board in the economic revival of the country.
“We are extremely excited that the young people are getting on board in economic revival in line with Vision 2030. What makes us happy is the response we are getting from our people,” he said.
“Our people, especially the young people who are embracing the concept of science, technology and innovation, are embracing that vision and I’m so happy.
“I believe the young generation has so much talent and all this time we didn’t know that we should tap into that talent to develop this country. I believe that in another five to 10 years from now, Zimbabwe will be totally different, it will be at the apex and I don’t know, which country will compete with us at the speed we are developing,” said President Mnangagwa.
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