NRZ workers must be patient – Mpofu

By Dumisani Sibanda

The minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Obert Mpofu, on Tuesday implored National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) employees to be “patient” and allow government to negotiate a $700 million loan from the Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA) to revitalise the transport utility.

He said the revival of NRZ was key to returning Bulawayo to its former glory of being the industrial hub of the country.

Mpofu was responding to a question on recent demonstrations by NRZ workers for payment of salary arrears at a breakfast meeting held at a local hotel in Bulawayo.

“Our presence (as government ministers) here is an indication that we want us to work together,” he said.

“Judging by the large attendance here, it is clear we have a problem in the region that needs to be solved.  We have institutions that would like to revive the NRZ by investing in it … but we have people having demonstrations.  In the last 10 years, there was nothing to talk about at the NRZ and they were happy, but now want to have demonstrations when there are efforts by DBSA to revive NRZ.  The way we act at times causes delays of some of these projects.”

Mpofu said NRZ employees should be “patient” while the parastatal is being revived.

“You milk a living cow not a dead one, not a dying one,” he said, amid thunderous applause from the audience.

Earlier, the minister had explained that the revitalisation of NRZ, which was a key enabler in the growth of the economy, would lead to a “revival of a considerable part of Bulawayo’s industrial activity because a lot of downstream activities are dependent on NRZ operations”.

“We are all aware of the dire state of our dear National Railways of Zimbabwe.  You will also be aware that we are engaged in negotiations with the Development Bank of South Africa for funding of a railway track, signalling system and rolling stock rehabilitation project that will see an injection of between $450 million and $700 million into NRZ,” the minister said.

Mpofu said officials from DBSA were in the country to discuss the deal and the staging of demonstrations by NRZ workers had the potential of sending the wrong signal to them.

He said during the recent visit to China by a government delegation led by President Robert Mugabe, the Asian giant had expressed interest in assisting in the revival of NRZ.

China is already financing, through a loan facility, the Victoria Falls Airport project.

The project consists of a new 4km runway and a new terminal building, which are 60% and 39% complete, respectively.

“When complete, the new airport would be in a position to attract more and larger aircrafts to the resort town and this should promote tourism and significant downstream industries, ” said Mpofu.  “We are, therefore, extremely happy with our Chinese partnership in infrastructural development.”

During the plenary session, Mpofu, who hails from Jambezi near Victoria Falls, received kudos for insisting that only locals should be employed for menial tasks at the project.

Mpofu re-iterated that when awarding tenders, government insists on “local participation”, but lamented the “individualistic” manner in which businesspeople from Matabeleland region conduct themselves. He said they should organise themselves into groups and take advantage of government’s infrastructural development projects.

“Don’t allow my officials who are here to leave before they explain to you the tenders that are there,” he said, amid applause from the more than 400 participants at the meeting. The Zimbabwe Mail