Bulawayo — Reawakening giant

24 Jun, 2018 - 00:06 0 Views
Bulawayo — Reawakening giant President Mnangagwa (centre) share a lighter moment with his deputies on the left is Vice President Constantino Chiwenga and on the right is Kembo Mohadi after the Zanu-PF rally at White City Stadium yesterday which was later marred by a bomb blast...

The Sunday News

President Mnangagwa (centre) share a lighter moment with his deputies on the left is Vice President Constantino Chiwenga and on the right is Kembo Mohadi after the Zanu-PF rally at White City Stadium yesterday which was later marred by a bomb blast...

President Mnangagwa (centre) shares a lighter moment with his deputies. On the left is Vice President Constantino Chiwenga and on the right is Vice President Kembo Mohadi

Nduduzo Tshuma, Political Editor
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa yesterday said Bulawayo is leaping to its former glory of being the country’s industrial hub with a number of major companies either re-opening or increasing capacity utilisation that would result in the creation of employment for thousands of people.

Addressing thousands of Zanu-PF supporters at White City Stadium, the President said some of the major companies going through a turnaround include the National Railways of Zimbabwe, Cold Storage Company, Merlin and Paramount Garments, among others.

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“Bulawayo is the industrial hub of this country so we must resuscitate all the industries in Bulawayo to create jobs for the people in Bulawayo. This process has already begun, we have Paramount Garments, it’s now working and has increased employment from 500 to over 700 people,” he said.

“Merlin Limited has resumed operations again, it is going to increase and in a year’s time and it’s going to employ 1 200 people. The national railways again is waking up, at the current level employment level is about 4 800, it is going to rise to 6 000 again in the next year,” said President Mnangagwa.

“We have already begun and Railways’ headquarters is here in Bulawayo, I was here some few months ago to refurbish and begin to modernise our railways. So far we have secured a $400 million facility to modernise our railway line, we shall continue to modernise the railway line itself as well as acquire more coaches and wagons to move our cargo to the sea and our cargo from abroad into the country. It takes time, there is little time to manufacture these wagons, coaches or engines but we have already made those orders, in that area already there is progress.”

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President Mnangagwa added that Hamara Foods, a subsidiary of Sondelani Holdings has also opened and will continue to grow and employ more people. He said the $100 million secured from investors to revive the CSC in Bulawayo, Masvingo, Marondera and Chinhoyi would also go a long way in creating employment.

The President said the Government would support CSC through the Command Livestock Programme that he launched in Matabeleland South distributing 1 660 cattle to farmers in Gwanda on Friday. On infrastructure development, President Mnangagwa said the Government is receiving bids for the dualisation of the Beitbridge-Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road that will create employment in Bulawayo, Matabeleland North and South. On Thursday next week, President Mnangagwa said, the Government would conclude the paperwork to start the modernisation of the Beitbridge Border Post.

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“Again we are going to dualise the road from Kazungula to Victoria Falls, already we are looking at the bids and the construction of a one-stop border post in Kazungula which is similar with the one in Botswana and one under construction in Zambia,” said President Mnangagwa.

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He said Ekusileni Hospital, a brain child of the late founding father of the liberation, Dr Joshua Nkomo, would start being operational with effect from mid-July.

“Ekusileni Hospital which has been standing for more than 15 years, let me assure you today in broad day light, let me promise you today, on the 15th of July next month, it will be functioning,” said President Mnangagwa. When I say function, I don’t mean you will be going there for treatment but the investors will be on site on July 15 to begin fitting all the equipment that is required and then it will open.”

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The President said the industrialisation drive could only be successful if the country has adequate electricity.

“In that regard, we completed the Kariba South Extension which has brought onto the national grid 300 megawatts and when I went to China, I secured a loan of $1,2 billion to do Unit 7 and Unit 8 of Hwange Thermal Power Station,” he said.

“We need more electricity as a region. The Sadc region, there is deficit Batoka Gorge which will give us 2 400 mega watts but this will be shared between Zimbabwe and Zambia.”

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