Online Reporter
Trish Mukwazo and Patience Ndlovu, Zimpapers Writers
ZANU-PF Bulawayo provincial chairman, Cde Jabulani Sibanda, has emphasised the need to restore national identity and harness local skills to revive key industries such as the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ), in a bid to boost the economy and create employment.
Speaking at Davies Hall in Bulawayo during an inter-district meeting for the Children of Zimbabwe Liberation War Veterans Association (CZLWVA) on Wednesday, Cde Sibanda said Zimbabwe’s post-independence era presents an opportunity to rebuild industries by leveraging local expertise and resources.
“Through gaining independence, we reclaimed our land and our identity. Now we must reclaim our industrial capacity. The NRZ is key to our economic revival. We must revitalise it using local expertise to create jobs and reduce the damage being done to our roads by heavy coal trucks,” said Cde Sibanda.
He stressed that NRZ should remain a national asset rather than a privatised entity, and urged the Government to enforce policies that promote rail transport over road haulage, particularly for coal from Hwange.
“The destruction of the NRZ came when road transport started competing with rail for moving coal. This is not only damaging roads but also endangering livestock along transport routes. We must enact laws that prioritise coal transportation by rail. This will protect infrastructure, reduce road maintenance costs, and breathe new life into NRZ, leading to massive employment creation,” he said.
Cde Sibanda recalled that NRZ once employed over 20 000 people and was the economic lifeblood of suburbs such as Sizinda, Matshobana and Tshabalala in Bulawayo.
“Those communities were built around NRZ employment. Reviving the railway system will reignite economic activity in Bulawayo and restore dignity to thousands of families, who once depended on it,” he said.
Years of illegal sanctions and chronic underinvestment have left NRZ in dire need of repairs and modernisation. Fortunately, in the 2025 National Budget, NRZ was allocated ZWG180 million, providing a crucial foundation for revitalising rail infrastructure, upgrading essential systems and transforming the parastatal into a reliable, efficient and competitive transport network.
The funding comes at a critical time, as Zimbabwe’s logistics and transport sector urgently requires transformative solutions to reduce costs, improve efficiency and enhance the country’s economic competitiveness.
Cde Sibanda also urged local authorities to re-imagine the role of public amenities such as beer gardens, arguing that they can be transformed into profitable enterprises that generate revenue for urban infrastructure development, rather than being earmarked for privatisation.
Further highlighting the importance of local expertise, Cde Sibanda said Zimbabwe has the technical capacity to produce spare parts and machinery components, noting that the country’s universities are producing skilled engineers, who should be engaged in national development.
“We should not be importing spare parts when our engineers can make them here. The President has already established steel plants like Manhize, which will support local manufacturing and allow us to produce essential components right here in Zimbabwe,” he said.
Cde Sibanda concluded by calling for a shift in mindset — from dependence on foreign systems to a self-reliant, locally driven industrial revival.
“The revitalisation of the NRZ and local manufacturing industries will not only transform Bulawayo’s industrial landscape but also accelerate national economic growth. We must break free from colonial ideologies and believe in our own people,” he said.
Bongani Ndlovu