- US$1.5 billion integrated mill shifts from import substitution to export earnings, delivering tangible results for the upper-middle-income target
MANHIZE – The first steel products rolling out of Dinson Iron and Steel Company’s (Disco) US$1.5 billion Manhize plant have drawn “quite exciting” feedback from regional buyers as the project transforms Zimbabwe’s industrial landscape and accelerates the nation’s drive toward an upper-middle-income economy by 2030, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
Speaking at the Manhize site, CEO Benson Xu said the integrated mill is now supplying both the domestic market and neighbouring countries, with customers praising product quality and service delivery.
“The feedback which we get from the regional market they are quite exciting,” Xu told reporters. “In terms of the product and also the service delivery, I think they are quite satisfied.”
His remarks underscore how a single “tangible, impactful project” is already reshaping Zimbabwe’s trade balance. Before Disco, the country imported roughly 90% of its steel, draining up to US$1 billion annually in foreign currency. Today, steel exports have surged from 413 tonnes in 2024 to over 140,000 tonnes in the first half of 2025, transforming Zimbabwe from a net importer into a regional producer.
“We talk about 2030 vision. 2030 vision can only materialise by individual tangible, impactful projects,” Xu said. “So we hope that this is one of the projects which can bring the tangible result for us to achieve the 2030 vision.”
The Manhize complex, which began as geological surveys 15 to 16 years ago, now employs over 2,000 workers directly, a figure expected to reach 25,000 at full capacity. With Phase One producing 600,000 tonnes annually, scaling eventually to 5 million tonnes, the plant has already saved Zimbabwe an estimated US$500 million per year in avoided steel imports.
Recalling the site’s humble beginnings, Xu described a barren, wild field. “When I came here, everything was just a field, a tobacco field. Like you saw, a wild field. But we started from scratch and put everything up.”
“So now you see, the steel plant is up, and production is ongoing. And also the people, they come to pick the product from here. So that is the dream coming to reality.”
Roughly 60 per cent of Dinson’s annual production is currently exported to regional and international markets, generating valuable foreign currency for Zimbabwe’s balance of payments, Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Zhou Ding confirmed during a recent parliamentary visit to the plant.
The plant’s product range has expanded beyond pig iron and steel billets to include deformed steel bars in 16mm, 20mm, and 25mm sizes, with hot wire rods and mill steel balls now also in production, critical inputs previously sourced from abroad at high cost.
Steelmaking is notoriously energy-intensive, but Dinson has moved to meet its own requirements through a 50 megawatt power plant that utilises advanced heat exchange technology, capturing waste heat and combustible gases from its blast furnace processes to generate electricity.
The company plans to expand its generation capacity to 70 megawatts, with surplus power to be fed into Zimbabwe’s national grid, strengthening energy security for the broader economy.
Beyond the immediate production targets, Phase One at 600,000 tonnes annually, ultimately scaling to 5 million tonnes per year by the fourth phase, the company has secured Special Economic Zone status, which is expected to accelerate investment and industrialisation in the surrounding area.
Plans are already underway for the development of a Smart City, designated as Manhize Town, and a science university, developments expected to transform the Midlands Province into an industrial and innovation hub.
Throughout his remarks, Xu repeatedly emphasised the critical role played by Zimbabwean authorities in enabling the project’s success against a challenging backdrop.
“For the past three to four years, we have been very thankful to the government, the country, and the leadership for giving us so much assistance, help, and motivation for us to be where we are today. As we can see, we are harvesting the trust and the support from the government,” he said.
The social footprint of the investment is substantial. Dinson has invested US$6 million in power grid infrastructure, US$8 million in a dual lane road connecting the plant to the highway, borehole projects valued at US$50,000, and the renovation of seven schools costing US$200,000, according to Ambassador Zhou.
More than 90 per cent of the plant’s employees are Zimbabweans, with the majority drawn from local communities, and Disco has prioritised the relocation of affected families into modern housing units.
