Zimpapers Logo

CHIEF CHARUMBIRA

George Maponga Masvingo Bureau
Plans by Chinese-backed Zimbabwe Zhonxin Joint Venture Company to open a multi-million dollar cement plant in Charumbira communal lands are still on course, as feasibility studies are expected to begin soon.

Proposals for the project followed the discovery of rich limestone deposits — a key raw material in cement manufacturing — at Chomuruvati Hills. Zimbabwe Zhonxin Joint Venture Company was formed through a partnership between a Chinese firm and the Zimbabwe Defence Forces.

The proposed cement plant is projected to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs and further stimulate the growth of Masvingo City and Nemanwa Growth Point. Zimbabwe Zhonxin deputy general manager Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Banda said feasibility studies would begin once the Chinese investor completed another project underway in Hwange.

“The project (cement plant) is still on course and Masvingo Rural District Council has already given us the green light to carry out feasibility studies and work will start once the Chinese investor we are partnering with in the project has completed another project that is currently underway in Hwange,” he said. Lt Col Banda said the prevailing tough competition in the local cement manufacturing industry had also delayed the project.

“There will be a lot of work that will need to be done at the cement plant project, starting with feasibility studies, but the project is still on the cards,” said Lt Col Banda. When the project was first mooted, villagers in the area threatened to block it unless they were guaranteed compensation and alternative land for resettlement. The villagers demanded preferential treatment in employment.

Chief Fortune Charumbira said though villagers were agreed that the project was critical, there were still some outstanding issues that needed to be addressed with Zimbabwe Zhonxin Joint Venture Company. Villagers in his area, he said, did not want a repeat of the Tokwe-Mukosi relocation debacle, where more than 3 000 families were moved from their ancestral land without receiving instant compensation following floods.

“We are talking about a private investor compared to Tokwe-Mukosi, which was a Government project, so we expect to agree terms and conditions with the cement plant investor first so that there is a win-win between the investors and villagers,” said Chief Charumbira.

“There are issues that need ironing out, issues to do with the quantity of compensation to be paid to villagers who will be displaced by the cement plant and where they will be resettled.

“All these issues need to be settled first before we can talk about starting of the project.” Masvingo Rural District Council has already penned an Memorandum of Understanding with Zimbabwe Zhonxin to start feasibility studies on the project. The council wants the firm to strike an agreement with villagers who will be affected by the cement plant. Local demand for cement is expected to rise on the back of the envisaged construction boom, as Zimbabwe’s economy recovers.