Zim News Blog -NEWS NETWORK

Source: Fidelity unveils Zimbabwe’s first large-scale residential piped gas project –Newsday Zimbabwe

HARARE, Jul. 14 (NewsDay Live) — Fidelity Life Assurance says it is rolling out Zimbabwe’s first large-scale residential piped gas project at its Southview Fidelity Park housing development, supplying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) directly to more than 4,000 homes through an underground distribution network.

The pilot project, being implemented by Southview Energy Company, marks a significant step in the country’s residential energy infrastructure as demand grows for cleaner and more reliable household energy.

 

 

Southview Energy projects director Weddie Makomichi said the system is designed to deliver LPG to homes through a centralized underground reticulation network, operating in a similar manner to water and electricity utilities.

“The Southview piped gas project is a modern, centralized underground liquefied petroleum gas reticulation network designed to deliver clean, safe and continuous energy directly to thousands of residential homes,” Makomichi said.

He said the system would eliminate the need for households to transport and refill gas cylinders while addressing rising demand for affordable and reliable cooking energy.

The first phase is expected to connect about 1,770 households by January next year, with the remaining homes scheduled to be connected by the end of 2027.

 

 

Makomichi described the development as the first large-scale residential piped LPG utility in Zimbabwe and among the largest of its kind in the Southern African Development Community region.

He said the project would create jobs during construction and operation, improve access to clean energy through a utility-based billing model and help diversify Zimbabwe’s energy mix by reducing reliance on the national electricity grid for cooking and water heating.

The company also expects environmental benefits through reduced dependence on firewood and charcoal, alongside improved indoor air quality.

Makomichi said the underground distribution network has been designed to meet international engineering standards and Zimbabwean regulatory requirements. The low-pressure system will incorporate underground storage tanks and pipelines, smart sensors, telemetry, automatic shut-off mechanisms and smart meters to monitor consumption and support billing.

Zimbabwe has increasingly turned to LPG as households and businesses seek alternatives to unreliable electricity supplies and traditional biomass fuels. If successful, the Southview Fidelity Park project could provide a blueprint for similar residential developments across the country and the wider region.

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Source: Private Aviation drives tourism growth -Newsday Zimbabwe

THE country’s tourism industry continues to evolve with private aviation increasingly becoming one of the sector’s most important enablers.

 Charter operators are playing a larger role in connecting international visitors with the country’s diverse tourism offerings, from wildlife safaris to cultural heritage sites.

Zimbabwe Air Safaris is among the operators responding to this changing landscape through the expansion of its charter services and the introduction of a dedicated charter service aimed at high-end travelers, corporate executives, diplomats and international tourists.

Unlike commercial airlines that operate on fixed schedules and routes, charter aviation provides direct access to remote tourism destinations, allowing visitors to maximize their time while experiencing multiple attractions during a single visit.

Zimbabwe’s tourism assets including national parks, safari destinations, heritage sites and luxury lodges are spread across vast distances, making efficient air connectivity a critical component of the visitor experience.

Zimbabwe Air Safaris chief pilot, Anastasios Zaverdinos, believes aviation has become an essential pillar of tourism development.

“By improving access to remote destinations, we contribute directly to tourism growth, investment opportunities and local economic development,” he said.

The introduction of the Pilatus PC-12 NGX aircraft enhances operational capability by providing reliable access to short and remote airstrips while maintaining internationally recognized standards of passenger comfort and safety.

“The investment in modern aircraft demonstrates our long-term commitment to excellence, safety and the continued growth of Zimbabwe’s tourism sector,” Zaverdinos said.

Industry analysts note that improved aviation connectivity generates significant economic spillover effects.

Greater mobility encourages tourists to visit multiple destinations, extending average lengths of stay and increasing expenditure across accommodation providers, safari operators, restaurants and local enterprises.

Business travelers and investors increasingly seek flexible transport solutions that reduce travel time while providing access to destinations beyond the commercial aviation network.

“Our objective is not only to transport passengers, but to contribute meaningfully to the development of tourism, support local communities and promote Zimbabwe as a world-class destination,” Zaverdinos said.

As competition among African tourism destinations intensifies, strong aviation infrastructure is becoming an increasingly important differentiator.

Industry players said premium charter services provide the flexibility, comfort and reliability sought by modern travelers while supporting broader economic development objectives.

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Source: Government moves to revive cotton industry -Newsday Zimbabwe

KADOMA, Jul 14 (NewsDay Live) – Government has embarked on new initiatives to revive the cotton sector, with two interspecific hybrid varieties undergoing trials at eight different sites in cotton-producing regions.

This move follows a 96% drop in cotton production over the past 13 years, leaving the textile industry hanging by a thread.

 

 

The trials, being led by the Cotton Reserach Institute, are being conducted at eight sites nationwide, including Chitekete in Gokwe, to identify suitable varieties for each region. The trials form part of an ongoing research programme that led to the release of two interspecific hybrid varieties: CRI-HYB1 and CRI-HYB2, in 2023.

CRI acting head Marco Mare said the release of the two hybrids did not signal a shift away from the open-pollinated varieties (OPVs) that the majority of Zimbabwe’s rain-fed smallholder cotton farmers had become accustomed to.

“The goal is climate-resilient cotton matched to each growing environment. The CRI-HYB1 and CRI-HYB2 varieties are being pushed for high input and irrigated systems, while open-pollinated varieties continue to be developed for farmers operating under rain-fed conditions,” Mare said.

This distinction matters enormously in a country where cotton is grown predominantly by smallholder farmers who lack irrigation facilities and cannot afford the higher input costs that hybrid seed production demands.

Research by CRI scientists, published in 2025, found that under dry conditions, locally-bred OPVs recorded significantly higher ginning outturn percentages than imported hybrids.  Ginning outturn determines how much fibre is extracted from seed cotton and, therefore, how much a farmer earns per kilogramme delivered.

Prior to the CRI research, farmers in Chitekete, one of the eight trial sites, had recorded some of the highest total seed cotton yields at 3 534 kilogrammes per hectare.

Zimbabwe’s cotton industry produced between 28 000 and 29 000 tonnes in 2025, a massive drop from the 350 703 tonnes recorded in the 2010/11 season. The record 96%  decline in cotton production has weakened the domestic textile industry and increased reliance on imports. Cotton is the country’s second-largest foreign currency earner after tobacco, and directly supports over a million rural households, particularly in the drier provinces of Matabeleland, Midlands, and Mashonaland West.

 

 

The Agricultural Marketing Authority projects output of approximately 38 500 tonnes in 2026, a 33% increase from 2025, though still far below what the industry considers a viable scale.

Mare said the CRI would continue evaluating varieties across multiple locations and seasons to deliver options that are both stable and productive.

“We need varieties that perform consistently, not just in one season or one location,” he said.

He urged farmers adopting improved varieties to adhere strictly to recommended agronomic practices, including plant spacing, weed control, and  pest management, warning that seed genetics alone would not translate into better yields if crop management remained poor.

At last year’s World Cotton Day commemoration in Harare, Lands and Agriculture permanent secretary Obert Jiri noted that average national yields had fallen to around 500 kilogrammes per hectare against a technical potential that researchers say could reach several tonnes per hectare under good management. Experts attributed that to inadequate and delayed input distribution, with some contractors supplying farmers only with seed rather than the full package of seed, fertilisers, and chemicals.

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Source: Chinese firm Shuntai’s US$200m cement plant set to start operations – herald

Business Reporter

CHINESE company Shuntai Investments is set to commence operations in September this year, after making significant progress on its US$200 million cement facility in Chegutu, Mashonaland West Province.

Speaking ahead of the Zimbabwe Industrialisation Conference and Exhibition 2026 scheduled for next week, Shuntai administrator Mr Jack Zhang said the investment was a significant milestone for the cement industry as this would improve the availability and affordability of cement.

The cement plant alone entails an investment of about US$120 million, with the balance invested in complementary infrastructure. This includes a 50-megawatt solar power plant, a packaging facility, and a fleet of electric vehicles.

“We want to be self-sufficient in our operations,” said Mr Zhang. We are also setting up a 50-megawatt thermal power plant with a view to feeding excess power into the national grid,” added.

Once operational, the plant will produce both bulk and bagged cement under the Shuntai brand. With a design capacity of up to 6 000 tonnes of cement per day, the facility will become one of the country’s largest producers, helping to meet the growing demand in the construction sector.

Mr Zhang said the project is expected to generate significant employment opportunities. Around 400 people will be employed alongside Chinese technical personnel during the initial phase, with total employment projected to reach between 1 500 and 2 000 jobs as the business expands.

Analysts say the expansion of the domestic cement industry will significantly lower construction costs, as improved local supply is expected to bring down prices.

Compared to other countries in the region, Zimbabwe has historically grappled with higher cement prices. The improved availability will not only lower costs but also accelerate activity in the construction sector, which is currently one of the country’s best-performing industries.

Zimbabwe’s annual cement demand is estimated at 1.6 to 1.8 million tonnes, driven by public infrastructure projects, housing, and industrial construction.

Because this outstrips domestic production—which has an installed capacity of roughly 2.6 million tonnes but frequently suffers from clinker shortages and equipment downtime—the Government has occasionally opened up import licensing.

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Source: AI-Powered GMB Silos nearing completion at Rutenga – herald

George Maponga-Masvingo Bureau

THE construction of seven new artificial intelligence (AI)-powered Grain Marketing Board (GMB) silos at Rutenga Growth Point in Mwenezi is nearing completion in a development that will boost food security across southern Masvingo Province.

The AI-powered silos will have a combined capacity of 56 000 tonnes of grain. Completion of the silos project dovetails with President Mnangagwa’s mantra of leaving no one and no place behind and will make Rutenga a grain-storage hub for dry southern parts of the country where farmers predominantly produce traditional grains.

Supply Chain manager at GMB Rutenga, Mr Kennedy Kabanga, revealed that work on the silos is billed for completion by the end of August.

“Construction works are almost complete and in about 2 months (end of August) we expect to have completed this project that comprises seven AI-powered silos with a total capacity of 56 000 tonnes,” he said.

Mr Kabanga said the new silos will store mainly traditional grains, popular with farmers in dry regions such as Rutenga and Mwenezi, for up to 5 years.

He revealed that farmers in Mwenezi and surrounding districts will be able to deliver around 8 000 tonnes of traditional grains annually to the silos for storage in an average agricultural season.

According to Mr Kabanga, the silos will predominantly store sorghum, millet and other traditional grains produced by farmers in Mwenezi and surrounding areas.

“Local farmers will also be able to benefit from our grain-swap programme where they can exchange their traditional grains for the staple maize grain,” he said.

The silos will also play an important role as an access point for grain collection in lean years when drought-stricken communities will need food relief.

The location of the silos close to the road and rail network at Rutenga made the new facility strategic in the country’s food distribution matrix.

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