Vusumuzi Dube
Patrick Chitumba, Online Reporter
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa is this morning expected to conduct a tour of the US$1,5 billion Dinson Iron and Steel Plant in the Manhize area near Mvuma in Midlands Province to gain an appreciation of the massive project, which is nearing completion.
Touted to be among Africa’s biggest integrated steelworks, the project is being built by China’s global stainless steel producer, Tsingshan Holdings Group Limited through its subsidiary — Dinson Iron and Steel Company (Disco).
The group also owns Dinson Colliery in Hwange in Matabeleland North and a ferrochrome plant, Afrochine Smelting Limited, in Selous. The giant iron and steel investment positions Zimbabwe among the ranks of global steel manufacturing hubs, with projections indicating the country’s potential to emerge as a future powerhouse in the steel and iron industry.
Disco is projected to produce 600 000 tonnes of products in the first phase rising to 1,2 million tonnes in the second phase then 3,2 million tonnes in the third phase and ultimately 5 million tonnes per year in the final phase, earning the country millions of dollars in foreign currency.
The mega-investment project encompasses the establishment of a Smart City to be called Manhize Town and also a Science University. It paves the way for the beneficiation and value addition of steel production, which will accelerate and drive the province’s economy high up the value chain with massive spin-offs for the entire country and the region.
Other products that the company will eventually produce include pipes, bolts and nuts, smaller slags, rolled tubes, fences, shafts, wires, and bars, among others.
Bongani Ndlovu