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Michael Magoronga Midlands Correspondent
Ferro-chrome producer Zimasco has entered into a partnership with the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) that will see the parastatal supplying additional wagons for the transportation of ferro-chrome to Mozambique for exportation to China.

Addressing delegates during a familiarisation tour of the Zimasco Kwekwe plant by Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Dr Joram Gumbo on Wednesday, Zimasco’s marketing and administration manager Ms Clara Sadomba said the deal, which also involved Mozambique Railways, was targeting to move over 800 000 tonnes of ferro-chrome this year.

“We entered into a deal with NRZ and the Mozambican Railways in a service levy agreement last year in November. We are generally relying on NRZ on the supply of wagons for the transportation of raw materials, as well as ferro-chrome for exportation to Mozambique. Under the arrangement, there is a certain tonnage that Zimasco gives to NRZ and it provides us with locomotives and wagons,” she said.

“The deal is now operational and we intend to improve our tonnage this year, depending on the availability of the wagons.” Ms Sadomba said hopes were high that the deal would be reviewed and improved by the end of the year, as the company sought to increase its tonnage for export.

“We have also identified a new market in China for some of the ore which is piled at the plant, but our major challenge has been transportation of the product to Mozambique, where it will then be transported to China by sea,” she said.

“So far, we have more than 20 000 tonnes awaiting transportation to Mozambique en-route to China and we hope the revival of NRZ will be good for Zimasco as well.” Ms Sadomba said NRZ was key in transporting its ore to the plant. She said the company was using road transport to bring ore to the plant as NRZ was incapacitated.

“For our raw materials from places like Mutorashanga, Hwange, Mhondoro and Shurugwi, we also rely on NRZ, but at the moment a certain percentage has been coming through road,” she said.