Patrick Chitumba Midlands Bureau Chief
Government has commended Sino-Zimbabwe Cement Company (SZCC) for its investment in the Midlands province and contribution to economic growth in the country.
The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) on Friday, officially granted quality certification to Gweru-based cement manufacturing company during a colourful ceremony.
ISO certification empowers the company to make its products attractive to compete on the international market.
Speaking at the event, outgoing Minister of State for Midlands Provincial Affairs, Owen Ncube, described SZCC as a beacon of pride for the province.
“Allow me to express my most sincere thanks and deepest gratitude to Mr Wang Yong, the managing director of Sino-Zimbabwe Cement Company and his team for their vision and commitment to excellence leading to their ISO9001 certification today. Sino-Zimbabwe Cement Company stands out as a beacon of pride to us in the Midlands Province as a successful model of a manufacturing company in our province with immense contribution to the Midlands economy as well as the national economy at large,” he said.
“Let me take this opportunity to thank His Excellency the President Cde Mnangagwa for his assurance that the new dispensation will continue to work tirelessly so that the distressed and closed companies in the Midlands Province are operational.”
Ncube also paid tribute to Industrial Development Corporation of Zimbabwe (IDC), the local shareholder at SZCC, which was represented by Mr Ben Khumalo, for its efforts to ensure growth of the business.
He said the setting up of the cement firm in Midlands has inspired other businesses to set up base and scale up their operations in the province.
Ncube reiterated that industrial development and revival of the manufacturing sector was a top priority for President Mnangagwa’s Government.
“Your certification today gives us confidence that you shall be supplying cement of high quality backed by excellent service in our pursuit of economic revival. I also hope that this certification will give you a competitive edge in your regional export endeavours so that you may also be able to actively contribute in generating foreign currency inflows into the economy.
“I look forward to more companies in our province to follow this example,” he said.
Standards Association of Zimbabwe director general, Dr Eve Gadzikwa, also attended the event. SZCC was co-built in the 1990s by China National Building Material Company (CNBM) and IDC. Today SZCC is one of the three cement manufacturers in the country and has an annual production capacity of 300,000 tonnes of Portland Cement.