The Public-Private Partnership (PPP) between the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) and Zimbabwe Mining and Smelting Company (Zimasco) has successfully refurbished 51 NRZ wagons dedicated to transporting ferrochrome for export.
This strategic alliance provides mutual benefits for both companies and significantly contributes to Zimbabwe’s economic growth. The partnership aims to support NRZ in providing efficient logistics for exporting high-grade chromite concentrates, which in turn helps generate essential foreign currency for the nation.
NRZ Public Affairs and Stakeholder Relations Manager Andrew Kunambura noted that the project has increased NRZ’s capacity and enabled the efficient allocation of refurbished wagons for Zimasco’s chrome exports to ports. This improvement translates to better turnaround times and enhanced operational efficiency.
“This PPP arrangement involves Zimasco refurbishing our wagons, and we offset the cost against the traffic we move for them. Our strategic partnerships with companies like ZimGas and Strauss contribute to infrastructure development, operational capacity, and overall efficiency. These collaborations play a vital role in enhancing rail services and supporting Zimbabwe’s economy,” Kunambura said.
NRZ is also working on improving its operations in other areas. Kunambura mentioned that plans are underway to ensure efficient grain transportation logistics.
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In a video posted on NRZ’s X account (formerly Twitter), Chief Planning Manager Jacob Chionyere explained that the refurbished high-sided wagons will transport chrome from Zimasco plants to export markets in Maputo and Beira, Mozambique. “We partnered with private players to restore part of our stabled capacity due to various defects. Through our collaboration with Zimasco, we aim to recover 100 wagons for general purposes and refurbish 3.9 locomotives dedicated to moving ferrochrome and chrome,” Chionyere said.
Chief Traffic Manager Gefferson Chimunye highlighted the collaboration with Zimasco, focusing on refurbishing two specific locomotives and repairing eleven 3,000-series locomotives currently out of service. The refurbished locomotives will be deployed across various routes, increasing NRZ’s capacity and meeting Zimasco’s loading requirements.
Chimunye also noted that Zimasco plans to transport at least 5,000 tonnes of chrome every second week from Kwekwe and move 15,000 tonnes to Beira on a bi-weekly basis. “Our goal is to improve our balance of trade with other countries and attract more foreign currency into Zimbabwe,” he said.
