Bulawayo leaping back into its former glory

Bulawayo is leaping back into its former glory as Zimbabwe's industrial hub, with several major companies either re-opening or increasing capacity utilisation that will result in the creation of employment for thousands of people.

Addressing a fully subscribed rally at White City Stadium here yesterday, Zanu-PF's 2018 Presidential candidate highlighted the good news coming out of the National Railways of Zimbabwe, the Cold Storage Company, Merlin Ltd and Paramount Garments, among others.

"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, 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.

''The current employment level is about 4 800, it is going to rise to 6 000 in the next year," said President Mnangagwa, who all polls predict will win the elections.

He continued: "We have already begun and the 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."

President Mnangagwa added that Hamara Foods, a subsidiary of Sondelani Holdings, had opened and was poised for growth that would also boost employment numbers.

He said the $100 million secured from investors to revive the Cold Storage Company's facilities 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 on Friday, where he distributed 1 660 cattle to ranchers as part of efforts to improve the quality of the national herd.

On infrastructure development, President Mnangagwa said his Government had attracted investors for dualisation of the Beitbridge–Bulawayo–Victoria Falls Road, a project that has positive economic implications on the three provinces of Bulawayo, Matabeleland North and South.

"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.

The President explained that his modernisation and industrialisation drive could only be successful in an environment of energy security.

"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.