Zimbabwe’s drive to add value to its vast mineral resources is creating jobs and stimulating economic activity in rural communities, Permanent Secretary for Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Nick Mangwana has said.
Speaking during a media tour of granite producer Eberne Investments in Uzumba-Maramba-Pfungwe, Mangwana said the country’s abundant granite reserves could sustain mining for centuries but said the focus was now on ensuring more of the resource is processed locally before export.
“We were informed that the granite resource is enough to sustain mining for another thousand years. The challenge was that blocks of granite were leaving the country without adequate processing. Companies like Eberne Investments are now cutting and polishing the granite locally, ensuring that more value is retained in Zimbabwe,” he said.
The visit formed part of a media tour showcasing development projects in Mashonaland East Province and highlighting the government’s rural industrialisation agenda.
Mangwana said Eberne Investments had become a significant employer in the district providing livelihoods for hundreds of local families.
“Around 420 people are employed here, with more than 70 working in the processing plant and the remainder at the mining site. Almost everybody employed here comes from this community. People no longer have to migrate to Harare to look for employment,” he said.
He said the emergence of industries in rural areas reflected a deliberate government policy to decentralise economic opportunities and reduce migration to major cities.
“We have seen a big push for moving industry, production, employment and economic activity away from Harare and other urban centres into rural areas so that people can benefit from economic activity where they live,” Mangwana said.
The Permanent Secretary also linked the developments to the country’s devolution programme saying communities were increasingly taking charge of their own economic future.
“Devolution simply means that people are making decisions at the lower-tier level where they are. They are in charge of their destiny and their economic activities. Decisions that affect the people are made by the people affected by those decisions.
“This tour has demonstrated that President Emmerson Mnangagwa is serious about devolution, employment creation and empowering communities at the grassroots level,” Mangwana said.
Eberne Investments Director David Van Breda said the processing plant, which is still half completed, can process 4,500 tonnes of polished granite slabs per month.
“The processing plant can process 4 500 tonnes of granite a month in its current state which is half completed. That’s in polished slabs. Slabs are sold by a square meter. The volume of square meters will depend on the thickness, whether it’s 2cm, 3cm, 4cm or 5cm,” he said.
Van Breda said the company produces slabs to suit customers’ requirements, including fully polished, cut, ground or honed finishes.
“We can process here to whatever the customer orders as in full polish or cut only, grind only, hone only. Some customers prefer different end products and they reprocess it themselves to their particular needs,” he said.
The government has repeatedly identified value addition and beneficiation of minerals as a key pillar of its industrialisation strategy, arguing that processing raw materials locally can increase export earnings, create employment and promote sustainable economic growth.
