Chronicle Editor
THE National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) has dismissed social media reports that it owns various properties in and outside the country and has lost records of some of them.
In a statement, the parastatal said it has often been confused with the NRZ Contributory Pension Fund, especially on matters relating to property ownership both within and outside Zimbabwe.
“The NRZ wishes to clarify certain misconceptions, which have been trending on the social media recently. Firstly, the NRZ does not own any shares and has no direct or indirect link, right or benefit from the London Stock Exchange,” said the company.
“Furthermore, NRZ does not own any property in the UK as some X users have claimed. NRZ has often been confused with the NRZ Contributory Pension Fund, especially on matters relating to property ownership both within and outside Zimbabwe.”
NRZ said the two are separate entities and are accountable individually, with the NRZ not having any rights nor control over properties owned by the Pension Fund.
The NRZ further explained that the relationship between it and the Pension Fund is that it is the sponsoring employer and as such, it is adequately informed that the fund’s offshore properties are well managed and proceeds are benefitting the membership.
“The NRZ clarified this position in a recent presentation to the Joint sitting of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Foreign Affairs and Transport and Infrastructural Development. Secondly, there are claims that the NRZ owns and has legal right to two kilometre land on either side of the railway line,” it said.
It said the correct position is that 45 metres of land on either side of the tracks is regarded as Railway Reserve Land and is legally gazetted as such, as it is reserved for future railway expansion.
The NRZ said it does not own any land in Johannesburg nor properties in Zambia and Botswana, adding that the Rhodesia Railways used to own properties in Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa, but its assets were shared between successor railway entities, the Zambia Railways Limited and the National Railways of Zimbabwe.
“The Botswana line and properties, as well as a few houses in Mafikeng, South Africa, were thus disposed by the Higher Authority to the Botswana Government and sitting tenants respectively in the 1990s.
“The mining rights in South Africa that were given to Rhodesia Railways by the late Cecil John Rhodes are jointly owned by NRZ, Zambia Railways and South Africa’s state mining entity called Africa Exploration Mining and Finance Corporation (AEMFC) at 33.33 percent shareholding apiece,” said the NRZ, adding that these are managed by an entity called the Pan African Minerals Development Company (PAMDC).
The parastatal also refuted claims that it used to own houses in most suburbs in cities like Bulawayo, Harare, Gweru among others, saying these were disposed of to sitting tenants, both before and after independence.
“The last such massive employee empowerment programme through selling houses to sitting employee tenants having been done in the 1990s. It is, therefore, not true that NRZ still retains ownership of all or most of the houses in these suburbs,” it said. — New Ziana
Online Reporter