NRZ seeks potential investors to build railway line to DRC

Business Reporter
THE National Railways of Zimbabwe is courting potential investors to build a railway line that will link the country to Kafue in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the general manager, Air Commodore Mike Karakadzai, has said. Responding to a question from an official from Pretoria Portland Cement whether there were plans to build a railway network in the northeast of the country where the cement manufacturer plans to set up a multi-million dollar factory, Air Cmdre Karakadzai said the NRZ had plans to extend the railway lines from Shamva and Lions Den going northwards.

“It’s a green project and we have a plan for that,” he said at a symposium organised by the parastatal recently.
Air Cmdre Karakadzai said they were trying to court investors under the Build-Operate-Transfer model and a number of investors had shown interest in the project.

He said because of developments taking place in the region, such as massive coal mining in Mozambique’s Tete province, any rail development project in those areas had the qualities of being a Sadc project.

At present, the country’s rail network in the north terminates at Lions Den in Mashonaland West and Shamva in Mashonaland Central.
Zimbabwe has had success in the construction of BOT projects in the rail sector.

In the 1990s, the government gave a 30- year concession to the Bulawayo Beitbridge Railway to build and run a train service between Bulawayo and Beitbridge.

Meanwhile, PPC says it is on track with a feasibility study to set up a new cement plant in Mashonaland.
The company last year announced plans for a massive investment in Mashonaland for a new cement factory.

Presently, the company manufactures cement at its factory at Cement Siding on the outskirts of Bulawayo.
In a commentary of its results for the financial year ending 31 March, PPC said the new plant would produce one million tonnes of cement a year to meet growing demand for the product.

Demand for cement in Zimbabwe is projected to rise as the country embarks on major infrastructural projects after years of economic stagnation.
According to PPC, the company’s sales volumes in the country increased by 15 percent in the period under review, while the group’s total sales increased by six percent.

“We are pleased to report that PPC’s cement sales volumes in Zimbabwe and South Africa have increased for the period. This encouraging trend was, however, tempered by weakness in cement sales in Botswana as well as lower demand in the lime and aggregates division,” said PPC chief executive Mr Ketso Gordhan.