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George Maponga Masvingo Bureau
Giant steel company, Steelmakers, is set to reopen its sponge iron manufacturing plant in Masvingo, creating over 700 permanent and contract jobs.

Trading as Simbi, the mothballed plant, was shut down in 2014 due to depressed iron prices on the international market.

The plant was commissioned in 2004, becoming the first and biggest heavy industry to be established in the Masvingo City.

The plant was producing nearly 60 000 tonnes of sponge iron per annum when it was closed.

Simbi Plant acting general manager Mr Lalji Kerai yesterday confirmed plans to reopen the sponge-manufacturing facility.

“The general manager Mr Anand Rao will be jetting into

the country soon and make announcement on the actual dates when this sponge manufacturing plant will re-open but I can confirm that plans to re-open the facility are at an advanced stage,” he said.

He said Mr Rao will provide the accurate details on the plant’s reopening.

The plant, Mr Lalji said, will supply about 30 tonnes of sponge iron daily to the Steelmakers facility in Redcliff.

Masvingo Town Clerk Mr Ad lph Gusha said the city was excited by the impending re-opening of the Simbi Plant.

“They have already indicated to us that they are planning to re-open the sponge iron plant but they have not yet given us definite dates.

“However, we are looking forward to the plant’s re-opening and as a city I must say that we are very excited by this development as it will breathe some life into the economy of our city through various benefits to be accrued from the plant,” he said.

The sponge iron supplied the export market while providing raw materials the Steelmakers’ plant in Redcliff.

The re-opening of the Simbi sponge iron plant has raised hopes of a massive turnaround in the economic fortunes of Masvingo City.

Besides employing hundreds of workers at the Simbi plant in the city, Steelmakers also employed hundreds others at its iron ore mine at the Glenlivet Hills about 50kms east of Masvingo.

The firm also operated limestone mine in the Glenlivet area and the iron ore.

The limestone were transported daily for processing to make sponge iron at the Simbi plant in the Masvingo Industrial area.

The company’s exports markets included South Africa, Zambia and Kuwait.

The steel company closed amid plans for a phased expansion of its Simbi plant with output initially starting at 54 000 tonnes of sponge iron per annum under the first phase before going to 108 000 tonnes under the second phase.

Annual sponge iron output was anticipated to increase to 162 000 tonnes after the third and final phase.

Sponge iron is a metallic product produced through direct reduction of iron ore in the solid state.

It is a substitute for scrap and is mainly used in making steel through the secondary route.

The process of sponge iron making aims to remove the oxygen from iron ore.