Online Reporter
Farirai Machivenyika
Senior Reporter
ZISCOSTEEL is upbeat about its revival plans due to linkages with other State entities under Mutapa Investment Fund, the country’s sovereign wealth fund.
Once one of Africa’s largest steelmakers, Ziscosteel ceased operations over 18 years ago, and several efforts to reopen it have been unsuccessful.
Addressing parliamentarians in the Public Accounts Committee during its visit to Ziscosteel in Redcliff on Tuesday, MIF deputy chief investment officer, Mr Enerst Denhere, said the company would take advantage of the vertical and horizontal integration with other entities under MIF.
“The transition of Ziscosteel into the MIF portfolio via Statutory Instrument 58 of 2026 was a strategic insurgency, placing the entity at the centre of a powerful, interlocking ecosystem.
“The revival of Ziscosteel is not a ‘silo’ project; it is an ecosystem play.
“Within the MIF, we have the unique advantage of vertical and horizontal integration with our sister entities: Hwange Colliery – supply of metallurgical coal, Sable Chemicals – oxygen supply via pipeline, and the NRZ as a key logistics backbone.
“A steel plant is only as fast as its rail link. By aligning with the NRZ, we are securing the bulk movement of iron ore and coal. This internal MIF synergy ensures that logistics are a competitive advantage,” Mr Denhere said.
He added that they were also working with Zesa to ensure a reliable energy supply required for heavy industrial loads.
At peak, Ziscosteel required 60MW.
“We are moving aggressively into the ground. Through extensive exploration of our iron ore and limestone claims, we are moving Ziscosteel from a legacy asset to a data-driven mining and manufacturing powerhouse with a decades-long feedstock runway,” Mr Denhere said.
