Mining, energy sectors rely on NRZ

ENERGY and mining sectors largely depend on rail transport for moving goods as 67 percent of the 335 073 tonnes were transported by the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) in the first quarter of the year, the national statistics agency, ZimStat has revealed.

The mining and energy industries continue to use rail transport as it is a cheaper means of transporting bulky goods.
Growth in mining will help drive progress towards the realisation of the national vision of transforming Zimbabwe into an upper-middle-income country by 2030.

Zimstat Director general Taguma Mahonde

A new lease of life has since been breathed into the operations of various mining initiatives after the Government designated mining as one of the key anchors of economic growth over the short to medium term.

Presenting the 2023 first quarter distributive trade indices and transport statistics, ZimStat director general, Mr Taguma Mahonde said the volume of goods transported by NRZ was 335 073 tonnes where 69 415 tonnes were goods from the industrial sector and 38 435 tonnes from agricultural sector.

“Of the 335 073 tonnes of goods transported by the National Railways of Zimbabwe in the first quarter of 2023, freight from the energy and mines sector accounted for 67,8 percent which is 227 223 tonnes,” said Mr Mahonde.

Mr Mahonde said all airports recorded fewer flights excluding the military in the first quarter as compared to the fourth quarter of 2022.
He said percentage declines in the flights ranged from -6,2 for Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport in Bulawayo and -50,0 for other airports.

The statistics revealed that Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport recorded 1 314 flights in the period under review from 1 401 in the final quarter of 2022.

Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare recorded 5 336 flights, Victoria Falls International Airport had 2 864 and other airports recorded 1 438.

Meanwhile, ZimStat said there was a 0,1 percent decrease in vehicles registered for the first time, from 21 841 during the fourth quarter of 2022 to 21 817 in the first quarter of 2023.

“The number of light motor vehicles registered for the first time decreased by 4,0 percent from 16,997 during the fourth quarter of 2022 to 16,313 in the first quarter of 2023,” said Mr Mahonde..

Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport

The statistics agency also revealed that as of 31 March 2023, there were 1 484 517 registered motor vehicles in the country.
This reflected a percentage increase of 1,1 when compared to 1 467 955 vehicles registered as of 31st December 2022.-chronicle