NRZ General Manager leaves post

MS Respina Zinyanduko, the first woman to hold the position of General Manager in the National Railways of Zimbabwe’s (NRZ) 125-year history, has left the organisation.

Her departure was effective from yesterday. Her appointment, approved by President Mnangagwa in accordance with the Public Entities Corporate Governance Act and the Railways Act, had been effective since December 1, 2021.

The railway firm announced that Mrs Ainah Dube-Kaguru has been appointed Acting General Manager.
The parastatal explained that this change was necessary to realign and restructure business operations in line with shareholder expectations.

“The Board of Directors of the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) wishes to inform the public that Ms Respina Zinyanduko has ceased to be the General Manager of the NRZ with effect from January 31, 2025. This has been necessitated by the need to realign and restructure the NRZ business in line with the expectations of the shareholder. The NRZ Board, Management and

Staff thank Ms Zinyanduko for her service as General Manager and wish her well in her future endeavours,” the statement read.
Mrs Dube-Kaguru’s appointment as Acting General Manager is effective from yesterday until a substantive General Manager is appointed.

The parastatal is undergoing recapitalisation, linked to broader efforts, which include procuring rolling stock (locomotives, wagons, and coaches), rehabilitating and upgrading track infrastructure, upgrading signal and communication equipment, upgrading electrical infrastructure, upgrading plant and equipment, upgrading information communication technology, capacity building programmes, and technical studies.

In recent years, the NRZ has sought investment from numerous potential investors, pitching various projects to modernise its services and operations.

The NRZ is among many State-owned enterprises that have relied on government bailouts due to poor performance, despite their critical role in supporting the economy.

The Government believes that revitalising the NRZ is crucial for the organisation to become the dominant logistics player in the region by 2030.