Zinwa in commercialisation drive

operating on a strict commercial basis, with a view of making profits and operating viably.
In an interview, Zinwa public relations manager Mrs Marjorie Munyonga said under the commercialisation exercise, the authority would be guided by its three-year strategic plan that has been put in place to help it operate viably and morph itself into a profit-making parastatal.
“Zinwa has, in fulfilment of the dictates of the strategic plan, established nine strategic business units that will deal in, among other services, bottled water, borehole drilling and water supply and these nine will operate as stand-alone units that are self-funding and self-sufficient,” Mrs Munyonga said, adding that other services that would also be offered on a commercial basis are dam construction, designs, research and engineering consultancy.
The move is in line with the continued calls from Government for State enterprises and parastatals to operate viably without resorting to the Treasury for assistance and bail outs.
“While the authority never looked to the Treasury since the introduction of the multi-currency regime, we have realised that we can improve our performance through commercialisation as there are many opportunities in the water sector that can be utilised profitably,” said Mrs Munyonga.
Commenting on how the authority intends to achieve this, Mrs Munyonga said Zinwa will seek to raise capital to finance the establishment of various projects using its own resources that are generated from its current activities while options such as borrowing and forming strategic partnerships with willing players will also be considered.
“The success of this commercialisation exercise will also depend highly on a serious marketing drive that will seek to create a unique brand of services and products that are entrenched in efficiency, quality and innovation and this is the direction that we have taken,” Mrs Munyonga said.
She also added: “An exercise to conscientise staff members on the new thrust of the authority has already been carried out the team is raring to deliver.”
Zinwa also seeks to focus on the improvement of service delivery in the areas of raw and clear water supply through the rehabilitation and replacement of old infrastructure.