Source: Mash West cement plants eye 3,4m tonnes – herald
Walter Nyamukondiwa
Zimpapers Reporter
ZIMBABWE is poised to become a net cement production hub, with three major plants in Mashonaland West Province set to achieve a combined annual production capacity of 3,4 million tonnes.
Amid a national construction boom that has strained supply and triggered price hikes, this expansion is expected to meet and exceed domestic demand.
WIH-ZIM Cement manufacturing plant in Magunje is expected to produce 1,8 million tonnes of cement and 1,2 million tonnes of clinker per annum. Shuntai Cement Plant in Chegutu will produce about 1 million tonnes upon completion.
A third plant, Hauxin Cement Manufacturing Plant in Zvimba District, is already producing about 300 000 tonnes annually, with works underway to double output.
All the projects are expected to come on stream this year and their combined capacity is anticipated to absorb national demand, which stands at around 2 million tonnes and is growing.
The surge in residential, commercial and infrastructure projects has tripled the demand for cement since 2017.
Investors anticipate that the increased supply will drastically reduce prices.
Project manager Mr Zhang Wei of the WIH-ZIM Cement plant stated, “With a capacity to produce about 1,8 million tonnes of cement annually, we should be able to meet a significant chunk of the demand. Increased supply leads to a reduction in prices and considering all other producers on the market, the price of cement should come down to around US$4 per bag.”
Currently, a 50kg bag retails above US$15. Zimbabwe’s cement production capacity is around 2,6 million tonnes (Mt) annually, with demand around 2 million tonnes, but actual output fluctuates due to fuel, equipment and clinker issues, sometimes falling short, leading to imports. The coming of the three major players is thus set to alter the landscape positively.
Mashonaland West Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Marian Chombo, who led a Government delegation on a tour of the WIH-ZIM plant, commended the province’s emerging role.
“We are impressed by this development of a 1,8 million tonnes per annum cement plant, but we continue to implore investors to follow procedures and adhere to the country’s laws,” said Minister Chombo.
“With this project and two others in the province expected to come on board, Mashonaland West province is going to be the biggest producer of cement in the country and help it grow.”
The WIH-ZIM plant, a US$700 million investment, is taking shape with a ready mix plant and brick machine already installed.
Upon completion, it is projected to employ at least 2 000 people. However, operations are currently halted. The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has directed the company to stop until compensation issues for affected villagers are resolved.
An EMA official clarified that the company’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been suspended, not revoked, pending the fulfilment of certain conditions.
Mr Wei confirmed the pause.
“We have stopped our production line as we seek to fully comply with the requirements of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).”
The Government has reaffirmed its commitment to promoting an investor-friendly environment within the country’s regulatory and legal framework to strengthen the private sector’s role in driving economic development towards the attainment of Vision 2030, to become an upper middle-class economy.
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