Mohadi want investors to exploit Beitbridge SEZ status

VICE-PRESIDENT Kembo Mohadi has said there is a need to accelerate investment and industrialisation of Beitbridge Town in recognition of its rapid socio-economic growth in the last decade.

He said the town was one of the fastest growing urban settlements in the country and that businesses should look at the vast opportunities that have emerged after the town was declared a Special Economic Zone (SEZ).

VP Mohadi said Beitbridge was the face of the country for many visitors entering from South Africa and that it played a key role in national economic development and hence the need to speed up its modernisation.

He said this in a speech read on his behalf by Minister of State for Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs, Abednico Ncube yesterday during the official opening of the Beitbridge Business Expo which ran under the theme "Business 24 seven".

"Our Government has declared Beitbridge a Special Economic Zone together with Bulawayo, Harare's Sunway City, Victoria Falls, Mutare and Masvingo," said VP Mohadi.

"We want to see a lot of investment and development in Beitbridge as the centre of logistics for Zimbabwe.

Beitbridge needs to quickly industrialise capitalising on the economic activities around the town and district as the leading producers of oranges, beef and goat meat.

In addition, we do have an enabling transport network, abundant water resources in the Zhovhe Dam, what can stop us? We can only blame ourselves if there are problems given the abundance of water which we have from the Limpopo River and Zhovhe Dam."

He said stakeholders and businesses in the border town should think outside the box about the various value addition enterprises and establish companies for finished products in juice, beef or goat meat and tannery.

VP Mohadi said it was high time exportation of raw products is minimised and focus shifts to value addition that help in creating employment and earn the country foreign currency.

He said the Government was ready and willing to support all those wishing to venture into product processing.

"The Business Expo is in line with our manta 'Zimbabwe is Open for Business' and I am proud that a municipality like Beitbridge, the window of Zimbabwe, has been able to host this.

"We appreciate the companies which decide to exhibit and see them as friends of Beitbridge and as such friends for Zimbabwe who wish to see and participate in our economic recovery strategies," said VP Mohadi.

He continued: "As Government, we need collaborative approach to attract the investment.

This part of the country requires a paradigm shift to make it an investment destination as opposed to a transit town.

We recognise the efforts by the locals to encourage and attract investment."

VP Mohadi added that the town was of strategic importance to Zimbabwe and the region. He also challenged the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development to facilitate the opening of institutions of higher learning in Beitbridge.

"These centres can specialise in researches on locally available products like cattle, the cross breeding of our beautiful animals, improvement of goat and sheep species and development of juices.

"We also challenge the institutions to open colleges that will develop animal grass and help the country rebuild its national herd at the same time re-establishing Zimbabwe as the work leader in beef production," he said.