VP Chiwenga Turns to Miners in Renewed Push to Revive NRZ Rail Network
Government has placed the mining sector at the centre of efforts to revive the country’s rail system, with Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga renewing calls for bulk commodity producers to anchor the rehabilitation of the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ), Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Ryan Chigoche
The appeal, made at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair International Business Conference, reinforces a policy shift that increasingly ties rail infrastructure recovery to mining output and logistics demand.
“We are equally committed to revamping rail systems through partnerships with local mining houses and other movers of bulk commodities to restore and enhance our railway infrastructure,” Chiwenga said.
The approach effectively positions mining as both the main user and a potential enabler of rail rehabilitation, as government seeks to reduce reliance on road haulage for bulk minerals.
Chiwenga’s latest remarks build on earlier calls made at Mine Entra 2025, where he first urged mining companies to align production growth with transport infrastructure development, particularly rail, amid rising logistics bottlenecks across the sector.
Coal producers are already emerging as early anchors of the model, with government engagement focusing on the rehabilitation of key freight corridors linked to mining operations.
Hwange Colliery Company is expected to coordinate efforts to revive the Hwange–Bulawayo–Gweru corridor, alongside other players including Makomo Resources, Zambezi Gas Zimbabwe, Chilota Collieries, and Chaba Mines.
Industry stakeholders say the corridor is central to coal logistics, and its rehabilitation could significantly reduce transport costs, improve turnaround times, and ease pressure on highways increasingly congested by heavy haulage traffic.
Beyond coal, government has identified a wider rail rehabilitation programme covering strategic domestic and regional corridors, including Victoria Falls–Bulawayo and Dabuka-linked routes extending to Beitbridge and the Lowveld.
Chiwenga said Zimbabwe is also courting investment into regional rail links connecting Zambia and Mozambique, positioning the country as a transit hub under SADC and AfCFTA trade frameworks.
“This will address the increasing demand for transporting bulk goods both domestically and internationally in a cost-effective manner, as well as decongest our roads,” he said.
For the mining industry, the shift is significant as logistics costs continue to weigh on competitiveness, particularly for bulk commodities where margins are highly sensitive to transport efficiency.
Government, meanwhile, is increasingly framing the model as a structural shift in infrastructure financing, where guaranteed mineral throughput helps justify and sustain rail investment.
Chiwenga said the initiative forms part of broader reforms aimed at strengthening policy consistency, fiscal discipline, and investment confidence.
He also reiterated the need for greater domestic beneficiation.
“The era of exporting raw resources without meaningful domestic benefit must give way to in-country value addition, beneficiation, and manufacturing,” he said.
The outcome of the strategy will depend on whether government can convert mining-rail partnerships into structured, bankable arrangements that align mineral production with infrastructure rehabilitation.
