adminKudakwashe Mutandi – Sunday Mail Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Youth Development Trust (ZYDT) has bemoaned delays by Government to grant a concession for implementation of the US$1,6 billion Harare-Chitungwiza Railway project.
ZYDT partnered China Southern Railway Zhuzhou Company Limited to undertake the project, which will be structured as a joint venture on a build-operate-transfer basis.
ZYDT said technical and financial feasibility studies had been submitted to the Transport and Infrastructure Development Ministry. In a letter dated January 8, 2015 to Transport Minister Obert Mpofu and copied to Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the trust said: “Following several meetings throughout the years beginning February 2013 to December 2014 between Zimbabwe Youth Development Trust (ZYDT) and your ministry, Honourable Minister, we have had to postpone the visit of our Chinese partners, China Southern Railway (CSR), to date since we have not received any formal communication in response to our submission of the technical and financial proposal you requested despite all the verbal assurances that the project should go forward.
“Furthermore, as the technical and financial proposal was submitted in April 2014 the lack of a response has made our partners question the seriousness of Government with regards to making this project a reality.
“We, therefore, once again appeal to you Honourable Minister to invite our railway investment partners to Zimbabwe to bring finality to this project in a progressive spirit that is in line with our development objectives.”
Minister Mpofu’s mobile phone was not reachable when comment was sought. ZYDT is also undertaking mining and energy projects in western Zimbabwe. This includes establishing a gasifier to generate 18MW of electricity, and then five other such units with capacity to add 90MW to the national grid over five years.
The youth trust is in talks with an Australian company to supply underground coal gasification (UCG) technology.
“We have a UCG technology supplier who is willing to sell it to us at a cost of US$30 million. We have since sold our idea to the Government for a possible partnership and bring value addition to the vast coal deposits in the country. We have since applied for a special grant for mining concessions,” said ZYDT president Mr Aaron Mupandawana.
The UCG project is set to add more power to the national grid which relies on hydro and thermal energy.
Zimbabwe has power generation capacity of 1 300MW, and a target to produce 10 000MW by 2018 has been approved. Government has begun expanding Kariba South Hydro Power Station and Hwange Thermal Power Station to boost electricity generation.
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