Manhize steel plant window for Byo industries
BULAWAYO industries must fully leverage the opportunities presented by the Dinson Iron and Steel Company (Disco) plant in Manhize to drive the revival of Zimbabwe’s manufacturing sector, former Cabinet minister, Ambassador Christopher Mutsvangwa, has said.
Disco is a flagship investment under the Second Republic’s pro-industrialisation and import substitution agenda.
It is owned by Tsingshan Holdings Group Limited, a global stainless steel giant, through its local subsidiary, Dinson Iron and Steel Company.
The plant forms part of a larger investment portfolio that includes Dinson Colliery in Hwange and the Afrochine Smelting ferrochrome operation in Selous.
As one of Africa’s largest integrated steel facilities, the Disco plant is now producing finished steel products such as deformed bars in 16mm, 20mm, and 25mm sizes, specifically catering to the local construction industry.
With a current daily production capacity of 300 tonnes and an annual target of 600 000 tonnes, the facility is set to drastically reduce Zimbabwe’s dependency on steel imports previously costing the nation nearly US$1 billion annually.
Speaking on Wednesday at the International Business Conference in Bulawayo, Amb Mutsvangwa underscored the critical role Disco could play in revitalising Bulawayo, once the nation’s industrial hub.
“The history of this town is that it is the home of the heavy industry of Zimbabwe, which collapsed when Ziscosteel went under,” he said.
“Now the Vice-President (Dr Chiwenga) has mentioned that we now have a steel plant, which is 20 times bigger than Zisco, and the investor is a top company in the world Fortune 500 number 259.
“And it is already producing steel, including rolling steel for construction and all the attendant aspects of steel production.”
Amb Mutsvangwa expressed concern over local scepticism about the project’s relevance to Bulawayo’s economy.
“I had the misfortune of hearing one of the top leaders of the town a few days ago saying that we cannot revive Bulawayo because the steel, which is being produced is produced by a company from a certain country, and they are exporting that steel to that country, so it is not relevant to Bulawayo,” he said.
The former Cabinet minister, who is also Zanu-PF spokesperson, urged the local industrial community to embrace the fact that the Disco plant is a Zimbabwean-registered company, regardless of the origin of its investors.
“I am appealing to industrialists in Bulawayo, particularly in the heavy industrial sector, to start identifying with the fact that the company, which is registered in Zimbabwe, is a Zimbabwean company regardless of the country of origin,” he said.
Amb Mutsvangwa also pointed to the strong regional demand for Zimbabwean steel, which should inspire local manufacturers to act swiftly.
“I would like the industrialists in Bulawayo to take advantage of what is going on in Zambia and in South Africa, where more than 200 trucks leave every week to those countries carrying steel from Zimbabwe to go and manufacture and beneficiate so that the products end up back in Zimbabwe.
“Bulawayo needs a new lease of life,” he said. -chrncile
