Story by Mhlomuli Ncube, Matabeleland North Bureau Chief
A US$500 million industrial park has boosted economic activities in Hwange, with the focus on value addition in line with the national vision of an upper middle-income society by 2030.
This is a 100-megawatt power station, but this is just the beginning as the company is aiming for a total of 300 megawatts.
Phase one is complete and is already feeding into the national grid.
As a result of sound investment and delicate planning, Zhongjin Heli has put up a power station, a coking coal factory and a cement-making plant.
Employing hundreds of locals directly and indirectly, the entities are interlinked.
The coking coal fires the power station while the formed ash dust produces material used for cement production.
“We are excited with this investment, which we have made, encouraged by the government, we will continue to do more,” Zhongjin Heli Chief Representative, Mr Collins Msarurwa said.
The project, a joint venture between a local private consortium and a Chinese investor, is yet another success story of the Second Republic’s open-for-business policy.
“What we have seen here is big. Having US$500 million in the economy is huge. We are talking about seeing government targets achieved and intense value addition initiatives as enunciated by the government,” Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Honourable Winston Chitando said.
Under the National Development Strategy One (NDS1), the government is pushing for accelerated investments in various sectors of the economy, including infrastructure, mining and energy, for the country to attain Vision 2030.
