Temba Mliswa calls for urgent SEZ designation for ...

Temba Mliswa calls for urgent SEZ designation for Manhize

Norton Member of Parliament Temba Mliswa has said that Chirumanzu in which the Chinese driven Manhize Iron and Steel Plant is located should be designated a Special Economic Zone.

“The designation of Chirumhanzu, under which @Disco_Zimbabwe falls, a Special Economic Zone, is also an urgent need which ZIDA should pursue. Other projects with lower investments have already benefitted from such designations,” Mliswa wrote on his Twitter handle after his visit to Manhize on Tuesday. He had promised that he would report objectively on his tour.

Mliswa said that people should appreciate the fact that the Manhize Iron and Steel Plant is the largest Foreign Direct Investment project in the country:

“True to facts, the Dinson Iron and Steel Company (Disco) which has so far invested over US$70 million, is undertaking a massive project which should be supported.

“The whole enterprise of Disco, encompassing the Manhize Iron and Steel Plant, Ferrochrome in Chegutu, the Hwange Coke Battery Investment and Thermal Power Station investment has seen a massive US$1.5 billion invested.”

In one of the videos he posted on Twitter, Mliswa said what most struck him is the magnitude of the project and the sheer scale of work being undertaken there.

He said he discovered that Disco Zimbabwe is not a foreign project but has the direct involvement, through shareholding, of government through the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education.

“We shouldn't depend on the foreign investor to protect our interest as many are simply business people out for profit. It's incumbent upon the government to include stipulations and caveats dictating the need for local benefits,” he added.

Mliswa said the company’s project is essential with advanced plans to build a 1000km railway line that will link it with Hwange.

He called on Zimbabwean government officials to expedite processes to ensure speedy progress.

“We can't have such a huge project being derailed by bureaucratic government bottlenecks at a time when the geopolitical setup is skewed against us. Tsing Shan Group, the parent company to Disco Zimbabwe, has led a steel revolution in Indonesia which has made it number 2 in the world,” he said.

Mliswa who is the only independent MP to have garnered a seat in the 2018 harmonised election has been vociferously negative about Chinese companies in Zimbabwe.

He said his Manhize tour was an eye-opening experience as it revealed a lot of issues on economic policy, empowerment and FDI.

Mliswa went on to say that Dinson has dwarfed the other investors in the area.

“What however begs questions is what the other investors in the area are doing. While Disco, occupying 8000ha is clear about its direction and investments, it's not the same with Bravura and Verify which are in the same area. Verify has a massive 22 000ha& Bravura has 7000ha!” Mliswa wrote.