Parly calls for urgent action to resuscitate NRZ

GOVERNMENT has been urged to expedite the resuscitation of the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) to enable the parastatal to provide essential logistical solutions critical to the country’s development agenda.

Reviving NRZ is seen as a key step in improving transportation infrastructure, which is vital for economic growth, industrial development, and the efficient movement of goods and services across Zimbabwe.

Enhanced railway operations are expected to boost trade, reduce transportation costs, and support various sectors of the economy.

The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport and Infrastructure Development, which toured NRZ properties in Bulawayo, Dete, Hwange, and Victoria Falls, noted with concern the state of the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Highway.

The highway is heavily damaged by haulage trucks carrying coal from Hwange, highlighting the urgent need for improved rail services to alleviate the pressure on road infrastructure.

The committee chairperson, Knowledge Kaitano, a legislator for Mudzi West Constituency, said Parliament will interrogate why coal miners are opting for road transport instead of rail transport, given that NRZ is offering competitive terms.

Kaitano also noted that they were impressed by the fact that NRZ has its own experts in its workshops, despite the obsolete technology used by the parastatal.

“We have been touring properties and activities of NRZ and what we have seen is quite eye-opening. What is critical for NRZ is for them to be capitalised and modernised. In Hwange, we realised that NRZ is not being opted by the coal miners as they prefer using road transport to transport coal despite cheaper rates,” he said.

“Our roads will not survive as the trucks are damaging the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Highway and that has become an issue of concern. It’s something that we need to look into as legislators.” Cde Kaitano said after an assessment of NRZ’s market competitiveness, Parliament is convinced the parastatal is competitive.

NRZ board chairperson Advocate Mike Madiro said the state entity is critical on the logistics side as Government implements the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) towards an upper middle-income society by 2030.

“We have challenges and there is no doubt about that. We need to provide logistics solutions to the country’s agenda. Logistics is key to the Government agenda and NRZ is important to achieve that agenda,” he said.

The stabilisation of the price regime is one of the key objectives of the Government and to achieve that logistical solutions, competitiveness, and efficiency are key. Railway makes logistics one of the key mandates.”

Adv Madiro said NRZ is a sleeping giant and there is evidence that the parastatal can provide logistical solutions to the country’s needs.

He said the tour was organised to ensure Parliament plays its oversight role to help NRZ return to its mandate of providing freight and passenger services.

“Within that mix, we cannot supervise ourselves, so Members of Parliament, on behalf of the people of Zimbabwe had to come in to have that oversight role to see whether we are discharging our mandate,” said Adv Madiro.

“The committee was here to experience first-hand and appreciate the challenges and help to ameliorate that to meet objectives. They are seeing the gaps that we need to fill and we are happy that they are also realising that we are doing a great job.”

NRZ general manager Ms Respina Zinyanduko said the state entity has embarked on an exercise to identify and evaluate its assets countrywide. — @ncubeleon