NRZ mulls setting up shopping malls

By Brenda Zinyuke

The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) plans to invest towards construction of shopping malls to transform its main stations to match global standards.

Speaking on the sidelines of the NRZ Technical College Graduation in Bulawayo on Friday, general manager Engineer Lewis Mukwada said they were conducting research about the feasibility of such a project.

“Our vision is that we build malls like those at Park Station in South Africa where we will have food courts, retail shops among other facilities.

“At the present moment we are still doing groundwork,” he said.

Eng Mukwada urged members of the public to desist from vandalising railway infrastructure as this hinders development.

“Our organisation has been hit very badly in terms of infrastructure.

“Vandalism of trains is rife. We have tried to restore our passenger trains but people go on to vandalise them,” he said.

The graduation event was the first since the college’s establishment in November 2015 and ran under the theme: “Get involved, make a meaningful contribution towards vision 2030 through the five pillars of education”.

The overall best student, Ms Valentine Dube, was awarded a further training sponsorship and prize money of $700. She also scooped prizes for best overall female student and best electrical power student.

The college’s first intake was in 2016 with 35 students.

The technical college offers courses in electrical power engineering, machine shop engineering, fabrication, diesel plant fitting, millwright, motor vehicle mechanics, vehicle body building, refrigeration and air-conditioning, carpentry and joinery, plumbing and drain laying as well as carriage and wagon fitting. The Chronicle