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Source: Maize sales rocket 106pc as farmers deliver 313 000 tonnes – herald

Edgar Vhera

Specialist Writer – Agribusiness

CUMULATIVE maize sales by farmers between April 1 and July 24 have risen by 106 percent to 313 000 tonnes, compared to 152 000 tonnes in the same period last year.

This comes on the backdrop of growers warming up to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) as their preferred market choice, a combined result of high prices and prompt payment.

The Agricultural Marketing Authority’s (AMA) latest weekly market report reveals that farmers had delivered 312 717 tonnes of maize to all maize buyers and agro-processors against last year’s delivery of 152 047 tonnes.

GMB intake rose 219 percent from 23 631 to 75 380 tonnes, while the Zimbabwe Mercantile Exchange’s (ZMX) procurement increased 224 percent from 7 307 to 23 660 tonnes.

Other buyers bought 213 677 tonnes of maize, a 76 percent jump from 121 109 tonnes.

Soyabean deliveries have also surged 58 percent to 45 744 tonnes from 28 924.

Sorghum intake rose 15 percent to 31 951 tonnes from 27 804 tonnes while sunflower deliveries fell eight percent to 5 181 from 5 631 tonnes.

In a recent media release, GMB chief executive, Dr Edison Badarai, said his organisation was the favourable buyer on the market and paying farmers high prices on time.

Maize and traditional grains are being bought at US$364, 75 per tonne.

“GMB prices are above the market as they reinforce confidence and guarantee farmers to mobilise input resources for the next cropping season, underscoring Government’s steadfast commitment to agriculture.

“Farmers are encouraged to make use of the 89 depots, the proximity of 1 804 ward-based buying points and transport logistics offered to deliver grain as GMB makes timely payments,” he said.

The board paid US$20 million and ZiG230 million for grain delivered since the marketing season opened on April 1, while settling outstanding obligations amounting to US$5,2 million and ZiG62 million.

This brought total payments to US$25,2 million and ZiG292 million.

“We have cleared everything. We encourage our farmers to continue delivering to GMB with the best price and we are paying within five days,” said Dr Badarai.

Some farmers in the Zimbabwe Agricultural Think Tank (ZATT) concur that GMB was paying them on time on the foreign currency component.

A farmer who requested anonymity said he had received the foreign currency portion on time and was still awaiting the ZiG component.

“I received a bulky payment in my Nostro account for sorghum and maize I delivered this year and that was on time, unlike in the past. I am still waiting for the ZiG portion and confidence among farmers is slowly building up,” he said.

Government crafted Statutory Instrument (SI) 87 of 2025 (CAP. 18:24) Agricultural Marketing Authority (Grain, Oilseed and Products) (Amendment) Regulations (No.2), to govern the importation of grains and oilseed products, as well as encourage local production.

To operationalise SI 87 of 2025, Government approved a new grain procurement and import verification framework designed to create a transparent, accountable system that prioritises local farmers while ensuring agro-processors continue to access grain supplies in an orderly and efficient manner, with effect from June 1.

Under the approved framework, grain buyers and agro-processors are required to procure a minimum of 40 percent of their grain requirements from the local market to qualify for imports of up to 60 percent of their requirements.

AMA will provide overall regulatory and supervisory oversight, while the ZMX will provide the online trading, reporting and verification platform responsible for monitoring procurement and import compliance.

GMB will provide the backbone storage infrastructure supporting the framework alongside approved private warehouse operators across the country.

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Source: President warns cartels in health sector – herald

Zvamaida Murwira, zvamaida.murwira@zimpapers.co.zw

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has warned unscrupulous businesspersons in the health sector who operate as cartels and syndicates to inflate costs of goods and services for self-serving objectives thereby prejudicing patients.

The President, who is also Chancellor of all State universities, said this yesterday in his keynote address delivered after touring and commissioning the University of Zimbabwe Industrial Incubation Centre in Msasa and the Specialists Medical Centre in Avondale.

“The Ministry of Health and Child Care, together with related Agencies, are directed to remove the barriers of entry in the establishment of specialist health care facilities and services. Hatidi ma gate-keepers, nema cartels mu health sector, vanhu vedu vachitadza kurapwa zvakanaka, nemutengo uripasi. Kwete. Ngative nehanya, tikoshese hutano we vanhu vekwedu,” said President Mnangagwa.

“My Government will not accept the prevalence of the opportunists and so-called health sector ‘cartels and syndicates’, who operate to the detriment of our people. Let those with ears hear this stern exhortation.”

He commended the University of Zimbabwe, saying the health centre had shown that innovation was not just about creating new products, but also about revitalising and re-purposing existing infrastructure to best suit the current national realities.

“The newly established Specialist Medical Centre further complements the ongoing Government’s Presidential Hospital Renovation and Modernisation Programme. Going forward, Vice Chancellor (Professor Paul Mapfumo), it is my hope that the Quinary Hospital currently under construction will soon be completed to augment the present reforms towards the modernisation of our national health delivery system and the realisation of Universal Health Coverage,” he said.

“Meanwhile, I call upon the university, along with other upcoming health facilities, in both the public and private sectors, to deliberately ensure that new facilities are equipped with modern, state-of-the-art equipment that compares well with others in developed jurisdictions. All investments in the health sector should translate to improved health delivery and associated foreign currency retention, where our people travel less to other countries for health care.”

He commended the UZ for coming up with two signature developmental projects, saying the institution was playing an integral role in driving the Heritage-Based Education 5.0 being spearheaded by the Government.

“Such projects validate the success of the Heritage-based Education 5.0 Model that continues to position our higher and tertiary institutions as critical cogs in the ongoing industrialisation, modernisation and development of our economy,” he said.

He described the UZ Industrial Incubation Centre as a commendable initiative, saying it reflected the institution’s commitment to providing the requisite leadership in the country’s higher education space to drive national development.

“This is more so that the incubation centre is the endpoint where start-ups shall be developed towards commercialisation and market participation. This is after ideas commence and are nurtured in the laboratories and workshops, moving through the Innovation Hub for prototyping, product development and startup registration,” he said.

“It is impressive that the startup companies hosted in the industrial incubation centre are student-led, resulting from their final year projects, research and scholarly work. Under my administration, promising innovations will continue to be granted innovation hub status and supported by Government. I am confident that this approach will provide impetus for our young talented students to develop their ideas into products, goods and services.”

President Mnangagwa said there was scope for the student-led start-up companies to produce goods and services required by the country’s economy and help to reduce the US$2,5 billion import bill being spent in the manufacturing sector.

“Judging from the crop of confident and innovative Executives of Start-up companies, our country is indeed on the right path of irreversible industrialisation and modernisation. I challenge the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, universities along with stakeholders in Industry including financial institutions, to scale up support for Start-Up companies emanating from the Heritage Based Education 5.0 Model,” said President Mnangagwa.

“Through the ‘Whole of Government and Society Approach’, let us continue to give our young talented boys and girls a chance to develop their ideas and exploit their full potential for the benefit of our beloved motherland, Zimbabwe.”
President Mnangagwa said it was encouraging that UZ was now celebrating the successful outcomes of 11 Start-up companies, resident at the Industrial Incubation Centre.

“The University of Zimbabwe Industrial Incubation Centre must thus not merely be a workspace for graduate innovators, but steadily evolve into an industrial production hub that supports manufacturing, technology development, value addition and enterprise growth.

“To this end, our Small to Medium Enterprises and other established industries should find value at the Industrial Incubation Centre, given the wide range of services offered at the facility,” he said.

President Mnangagwa said universities must play their part and take responsibility for the country’s needs through research, science, innovation and technology.

“The exhibits and displays, I have always witnessed from the University Research-Innovation Industrialisation Ecosystem, demonstrate unprecedented progress in repositioning our universities as solution-driven agents for the development of our beloved motherland, Zimbabwe. The wide range of products and services, which cover the critical sectors of our economy, is a reflection that we can achieve Vision 2030 and build the Zimbabwe we all want, through our own capacity and skills,” he said.

President Mnangagwa commended the institutions for taking a wide range of research and innovation initiatives such as smart agricultural equipment, solar-powered systems and drone technologies for precision agriculture, saying it dovetailed with the current agro-industrialisation thrust.

“It is my expectation that developments in this direction ultimately help farmers increase productivity, reduce post-harvest losses, optimise irrigation systems and modernise agricultural production systems,” he said.

On value addition and beneficiation of minerals, President Mnangagwa said his Government had assigned State Universities the responsibilities to ensure that the country achieves high-value outputs from the country’s natural resource endowments.

“The establishment of the National Minerals Research Centre that facilitates the value addition of a variety of minerals, including lithium, rare earth elements and uranium, among others, is now urgent. As Chancellor, I want to emphasise the importance of this strategic national assignment, which I require universities to carry out with utmost diligence, honesty and integrity, for the benefit of both present and future generations, in our motherland, Zimbabwe,” he said.

The event was attended by Vice President Kembo Mohadi, Cabinet Ministers, Vice Chancellors from other institutions of higher learning, academics, captains of industry and senior Government officials.

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Source: Goverment unveils Infrastructure Fund for major road rehab programme – herald

Rutendo Nyeve, rutendo.nyeve@sundaynews.co.zw
THE Government has unveiled an Infrastructure Fund dedicated towards rehabilitation of roads and bridges across Zimbabwe, with works expected to commence soon.
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development, Felix Mhona, revealed this in Parliament last week, where he outlined the Government’s comprehensive strategy to address the damage caused by heavy rains and to tackle the nation’s broader infrastructure challenges.
The new Infrastructure Fund emerges as a crucial intervention following extensive consultations between the
Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development and the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion.
The fund is designed to mobilise resources specifically for the rehabilitation of roads and construction of damaged bridges, marking a pivotal step in addressing the country’s infrastructure deficit.
Minister Mhona has said the rehabilitation efforts will be rolled out under the theme of ‘Road Rehabilitation Programme 2’.
The intervention will see the resumption of works across the country, with both urban and rural councils, alongside the Department of Roads, playing a key role in the implementation.
A key focus will be on completing all stalled projects, ensuring that no ongoing work is left unfinished. Minister
Mhona acknowledged the dual-edged nature of the recent wet season.
“We indeed had good rains, but this was a disadvantage too because roads and bridges were damaged. When we look at the amount of money allocated to us, this money is too little to cater for all roads that were damaged,” he said.
“We sat down as the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development and the Ministry of Finance, Economic
Development and Investment Promotion and discussed ways of mobilising resources to rehabilitate our roads and bridges.
“I am happy to inform you that we now have an Infrastructure Fund to cater for this problem of road rehabilitation and construction of damaged bridges. Starting from this week, we will resume the rehabilitation of our roads under the theme of Road Rehabilitation Programme 2, with our urban and rural councils and the Department of Roads.
“This will cover a lot of bridges and roads. You will begin to see improvements. All projects that were not completed will be completed; we call these projects ‘stalled projects’,” said Minister Mhona.
He underscored the impact of heavy vehicles in the degradation of the road network and reiterated the Government’s commitment to promoting the use of rail transport to preserve the country’s roads.
The minister said enforcement by the Vehicle Inspection Department (VID) is being strengthened to catch transporters who overload the roads.
To further alleviate pressure on the road network, the Government is encouraging private companies, including those in the mining sector, to partner with the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ).
The Mutapa Investment Fund is also overseeing the revival of the NRZ, with efforts underway to save money for rolling stock such as wagons.
The Minister highlighted Zimbabwe’s advantage.
“Our railway is there, but in other countries, you would have to construct. Here in our country, we have got our strong railway,” he said.
Minister Mhona reaffirmed the Government’s dedication to improving the railway network to ensure that more goods are transported by rail rather than road, a move expected to significantly extend the lifespan of the newly rehabilitated roads.

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Source: ZESA mulls super shield against El Niño-disruption – herald

Martin Kadzere

Power utility ZESA Holdings says it is implementing measures to mitigate potential power supply disruptions from the impact of the projected “Super” El Niño on the Kariba hydroelectric power station, including strict water management and increased generation at Hwange Thermal Power Station.

Responding to heightened climate concerns during the Zimbabwe Industrialisation Conference (ZICE 2026) last week, ZESA interim chief executive officer Engineer Cletus Nyachowe said the utility was carefully co-managing water usage at Lake Kariba with Zambia’s power utility, ZESCO, to build an adequate buffer for the upcoming year.

Kariba Dam is managed jointly by the Zambezi River Authority on behalf of Zambia and Zimbabwe power utilities, focusing on safe water storage, structural maintenance and regional power generation

El Niño is a naturally occurring climate phenomenon driven by the warming of surface ocean waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.

In southern Africa, El Niño weather cycles usually trigger severe droughts, higher temperatures, and below-normal rainfall across the Zambezi River basin, severely reducing water inflows into major reservoirs.

“We are carefully managing the water consumption this year between us and ZESCO of Zambia and we will close the year at about 24 percent, which is quite a strong storage for us to go into next year,” said Eng Nyachowe.

He noted that the utility intentionally avoided operating the hydro plant at full capacity this year to preserve dam levels in anticipation of below-normal rainfall.

To offset reduced hydro generation at Kariba, ZESA has prioritised intensified maintenance work across units one to six at the Hwange Thermal Power Station.

The maintenance drive has nearly doubled the facility’s recent power contribution to the national grid.

“We are also upping our maintenance at Hwange 1 to 6. We are improving the output,” he said.

“Currently, we are actually doing close to 500 megawatts. Typically, it would be around 250 MW.”

Beyond thermal generation, ZESA is aggressively pursuing solar energy initiatives to provide medium-term relief as severe weather patterns threaten regional energy security.

“We will be aggressive on the solar projects. They may be a bit late, but they will come in to ameliorate the situation,” said Eng Nyachowe.

Because Kariba relies almost entirely on seasonal rainfall in the upper Zambezi catchment, previous dry weather and El Niño-induced droughts hit electricity generation hard.

In recent years, severe El Niño cycles dropped Lake Kariba’s water levels to near-record lows, forcing both Zimbabwe and Zambia to implement rolling daily load-shedding of up to 18 hours.

Providing an update on planned projects, Eng Nyachowe said ZESA is finalising tender documentation for World Bank-backed solar projects following the completion of feasibility studies.

Outside the World Bank framework, the utility is developing independent solar projects targeting a total capacity of about 1 500 MW.

The utility has secured 94 MW under its rooftop solar initiative and plans to scale up the programme rapidly—transitioning from traditional net-metering to directly purchasing surplus power from domestic and commercial producers.

According to Eng Nyachowe, the Zambezi River Authority is actively engaging prospective global developers and financiers to test investor appetite for the 2400 MW hydro-undertaking.

To further strengthen the national grid, ZESA has also completed preliminary feasibility studies for Units 9 and 10 at the Hwange Thermal Power Station, a planned expansion designed to add 600 megawatts of capacity using high-efficiency, clean coal technologies.

Eng Nyachowe said a joint delegation from ZESA and the Ministry of Energy and Power Development recently returned from a study mission to Kenya’s Geothermal Development Company (GDC).

ZESA aims to assess and exploit up to 33 potential geothermal sites identified across Zimbabwe.

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Source: Government removes unjustifiable, duplicative access fees in transport sector – herald

Freeman Razemba, freeman.razemba@zimpapers.co.zw

GOVERNMENT has, with immediate effect, removed some unjustifiable and duplicative access fees that were being charged by the Central Vehicle Registry (CVR), Road Motor Transportation (RMT), and the Vehicle Inspectorate Department (VID).

The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development has successfully rationalised all fees charged by the three departments, including the removal of regulatory requirements and permit charges that duplicated functions across agencies and transactional fees that hindered operational efficiency.

The move is part of the broader national effort to eliminate high administrative costs, streamline regulatory processes and strengthen Zimbabwe’s economic competitiveness by enhancing the ease of doing business.

In a statement, Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Advocate Felix Mhona confirmed the development, tracing the reforms to a directive issued by President Mnangagwa.

“During the first Cabinet meeting of 2026, His Excellency the President, Cde Dr ED Mnangagwa, directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to finalise the review of taxes, licences, permits and regulatory fees charged across Government,” Minister Mhona said.

The directive, first issued during the first Cabinet meeting of 2025, called for a comprehensive downward review of taxes, licences, permits, and user fees deemed excessive. The objective was to eliminate high administrative costs, streamline the regulatory environment, and enhance the ease of doing business while strengthening Zimbabwe’s economic competitiveness.

Following the presidential directive, Cabinet on 9 September 2025 considered and approved the review of fees charged by the CVR, RMT, and VID, with particular emphasis on reducing or eliminating unjustifiable, duplicative, or overlapping charges.

The review specifically targeted licensing fees in both passenger and freight transport, overlapping permit charges across agencies, punitive or disproportionate compliance levies, and transactional fees that hindered operational efficiency.

The revised fee structure has been formalised through Statutory Instrument 6 of 2026 and Statutory Instrument 10 of 2026, gazetted on 9 and 12 January 2026, respectively. The latest reforms, removing the Road Access Fee, were given legal effect through Statutory Instrument 113 of 2026, gazetted on 24 July 2026.

Under the new system, first-time motor vehicle registration has been slashed from US$500 to US$50. Change-of-ownership requiring new number plates now costs US$95, down from US$515. First-time motorcycle registration has been set at US$70, while first-time trailer registration fees have been reduced from US$70 to US$50.

Operator licences have been standardised at a flat fee of US$125 per vehicle, replacing the previous structure which required a US$50 application fee plus US$75 per vehicle. Route permits have been cut from US$75 to US$20.

In addition to fee reductions, the Government has completely removed the requirement for garage inspection reports, which previously cost US$25. The requirement for retesting of Public Service Vehicle (PSV) drivers has also been abolished. Previously, PSV and truck drivers were required to undergo periodic retesting by VID in addition to holding a valid driver’s licence, with drivers required to pay a retesting fee of about US$30. Law enforcement agencies have been advised that PSV driver retesting is no longer a legal requirement and is therefore no longer enforceable.

Minister Mhona said that the Road Access Fee, now removed through Statutory Instrument 113 of 2026, was introduced in 2009 at a time when Zimbabwe had no national road tolling system. With the subsequent rollout of

Zinara toll gates across the national road network, the fee became duplicative, resulting in motorists being charged twice for the same service.

“This duplication imposed unnecessary financial and administrative burdens on transport operators and the travelling public,” he said.

Initially collected by Zimra, the Road Access Fee was taken over by Zinara at Beitbridge Border Post in 2014.

Under that arrangement, motorists paid both the RAF and bridge toll fees at Zinara counters. Light vehicles paid US$10 for RAF and US$10 for bridge tolls (totalling US$20 per entry), while buses and heavy vehicles paid US$20 and US$27,50 respectively. Haulage trucks paid US$27,50 in bridge tolls plus VID coupons calculated on distance travelled.

Foreign-registered vehicles paid an additional US$40 in carbon tax and third-party insurance to Zimra. Leaving Zimbabwe, motorists paid bridge toll fees of US$10 for light vehicles and US$27,50 for heavy vehicles.

A round trip to South Africa in a light vehicle cost approximately US$30, while buses and heavy vehicles paid around US$75.

Minister Mhona said the milestone aligned with the ministry’s commitment to improving the ease of doing business and promoting economic competitiveness.

“The Ministry remains firmly committed to creating a modern, efficient, and business-friendly transport regulatory framework,” he said. “I therefore urge all drivers, vehicle owners and transport operators to comply fully with road transport regulations and to take advantage of the revised, streamlined fee structure now in place.”

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