Hwange Central Constituency

22/09/2022

https://www.voanews.com/a/zimbabwe-chinese-investors-sign-metals-park-deal/6759053.html

VoA AFRICA
Zimbabwe

Chinese Investors Sign $2.8B Metals Park Deal

September 22, 2022 2:46 PM

By Columbus Mavhunga

HARARE, ZIMBABWE —
There was a festive mood with music, food and decorations at Zimbabwe’s State House last Friday as Chinese investors signed a deal to build a $2.8 billion battery metals industrial park.

Zimbabwean authorities say the lithium, platinum and nickel production will be used to make solar batteries.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa said the project, about an hour’s drive northwest of Harare, would help turn around the decline of Zimbabwe’s economy.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa, speaking in Harare at the signing ceremony for a Chinese investment deal on Sept. 16, 2022, said the project, about an hour’s drive northwest of Harare, will help turn around the decline of Zimbabwe’s economy.

“The mines-to-energy park will augment my government’s thrust of value addition and beneficiation of minerals, as well as bolster the crucial role that minerals’ value chain plays in the national industrialization agenda," he said. "It is set to mark the inception of a lithium ion battery chain in Zimbabwe. It is set to place Zimbabwe among the world’s producers of lithium ion batteries.”

Zimbabwe’s government plans to provide the land and minerals for the park, while the two Chinese companies investing will bring in machinery and needed funds.

Mnangagwa is aiming for a $12 billion mining industry in Zimbabwe by next year.

Lionel Mhlanga, director at Hong Kong Eagle International Holdings, one of the Chinese investors, said the project "will revolutionize the mining and energy sector of Zimbabwe, ensuring optimum value addition for all minerals extracted locally.

Zimbabwe is endowed with most if not all minerals needed in this clean energy drive. Eagle International Investment Holdings and Pacific Goal Investment are partnering with the government of Zimbabwe to set up this industrial park. This multibillion-dollar project, on completion, will have a turnover exceeding $13 billion annually.”

But critics note Zimbabwe has announced several multibillion-dollar projects in recent years that fell apart, include mining by Russian investors for platinum and Chinese for diamonds.

The projects that do go forward rarely benefit ordinary Zimbabweans, said opposition lawmaker and human rights activist Daniel Molokele.

"The mining model that we have, which favors countries such as China, is a big disadvantage for the poor people of Zimbabwe because the investment method is called extractive mining," he said. "It’s to the advantage of the investor [rather] than to local communities. So Zimbabwe is not benefiting — at least at common citizen level — until and unless we come up with a mining model that favors local communities, that allows for shareholding and profiting for local communities in all mining investments.”

Zimbabwe is home to valuable minerals such as gold, iron, diamonds, lithium, platinum and chrome. But the World Bank says half of Zimbabweans live on less than $1 per day.

Farai Maguwu, the director of the Centre for Natural Resource Governance, a group working to improve governance of Zimbabwe’s natural resources, said the metals park deal needs to be transparent and aimed at helping locals, or else Zimbabwe will remain a resource-cursed country.

“If the government is merely looking at creating jobs, then that’s a very minimal expectation that we can have out of this project," he said. "What we see with the Chinese in Zimbabwe is that everything they are getting, they are taking to China. That’s why the influx of Chinese investors in Zimbabwe is not contributing anything, even to liquidity, in our financial sector, simply because the Zimbabweans are not involved in these projects. We are simply giving them access to our resources without any plan.”

The battery metals park is expected to be up to 50 square kilometers in size when completed in about three years.

Critics say Zimbabwe’s mega projects rarely benefit ordinary people

10/09/2022

Office of the MP Supports Whange Queens Netball Team for Ruwa Tournament

The Office of the MP for Whange Central Constituency has extended its social support arm by supporting the Whange Queens netball team which left for Ruwa yesterday evening.

The local netball team is part of the four-team tournament that will be held in Ruwa, during this weekend.

This noble gesture is part of the corner stone of the Office of the MP ongoing efforts to help revive and support sport in Whange.

The Office of the MP donated 100 USD cash towards transport costs for the 17 member delegation which included players and officials.

The Office of the MP wishes the Whange Queens netball team all the best of success during the tournament.

Thulani Moyo
PA & Spokesperson
Office of the MP
Whange Central Constituency

09/09/2022

Hon. MP Comprehensively Tours St Patrick's Hospital

St Patrick's hospital recently received a big shot in the arm after a comprehensive working visit from the local Member of Parliament for Whange Central Constituency, Hon. Daniel Molokele

Hon. Molokele was originally invited to visit the mission hospital by its Chief Administrator Sister Jane Sakala.

A visibly delighted Sister Sakala took some quality time to conduct a comprehensive tour of all the departments of the St Patrick's hospital for the Hon. MP

She managed to introduce him to all the key hospital staff members across all its departments

She also explained the crucial role of each of the departments of the St Patrick's hospital

The visit to the St Patrick's hospital was a historic one due to the fact that it was the first ever official visit to be conducted by a sitting MP since the mission hospital was built in 1997.

During the comprehensive tour of the St Patrick's hospital facilities, the staff took the opportunity to share with the Hon. MP the various administrative and operational challenges that the mission hospital was facing at the present moment.

Most of the challenges seem to emanate from the fact that more people who used to rely on the nearby Colliery hospital have in recent years been forced to depend more on it after the coal-mining company hospital introduced a series of restrictive cost cutting measures that made it much more difficult for most non-Colliery employees to access its medical services.

As such, the St Patrick's hospital is now the most influential health care facility in the entire local constituency.

It is thus reeling under the heavyweight of the high number of patients that it has now been forced to attend to everyday.

Worse still, the Government of Zimbabwe continues to treat it as a private mission hospital when it is now crystal clear that in recent years it has become more of an open public health care facility catering for most of the residents in the local constituency

In response, the Hon. MP committed himself to start to actively support the St Patrick's hospital in decisively resolving most of its challenges.

The Hon. MP also used the same occasion to inspect the recently installed water retention tank (Jojo) under the 2022 Constituency Development Fund (CDF)

It is trite to take note that out of all the identified twelve beneficiaries, the
St Patrick's hospital was the only beneficiary that was not a public school.

In response, Sister Sakala expressed total gratitude for the installation of the water retention tank since it would now guarantee continual water supplies to the crucial maternity department of the hospital.

Thulani Moyo
PA/Spokesperson
Office of the MP for Whange Central Constituency

08/09/2022

Office of the MP Successfully Implements the CDF Project for 2022

The Office of the MP for Whange Central Constituency has successfully implemented its low cost but high impact project under the 2022 parliamentary Constituency Development Fund (CDF)

The 2022 project focused on the installation of water retention tanks (Jojo Tanks) in various public schools at local communities levels.

At times, some schools have been forced to consider closing temporarily due to water supply related problems

Each of the 210 constituencies across the country was allocated 11.4 million RTGS for CDF for 2022.

In response, our local CDF Committee did an extensive consultation public process, in close partnership with all the local ward Councillors under our constituency.

After the consultation process was successfully completed, it was then unanimously agreed that the 2022 CDF disbursement be used to buy the water retention tanks in order to guarantee access to water supplies in our local public schools.

The Office of the MP is so happy to announce that there are 12 local communities institutions that have now managed to benefit from the 2022 CDF project.

In particular, eleven public schools across the urban parts of our constituency together with the St Patrick's Hospital at Empumalanga benefited from this year's project.

For avoidance of doubt the following schools now have water retention tanks fully installed under the 2022 CDF project:

1. Sir Humphrey Gibbs Primary
2. Makwika Primary
3. Lusumbami Primary
4. Mabhinga Primary
5. St Ignatius Primary
6. Lwendulu Primary
7. Nechibondo Primary
8. St Georges Primary
9. Hwange High
10. Wankie Secondary
11. Kalope Secondary

Thulani Moyo
PA/Spokesperson
Office of the MP for Whange Central Constituency

08/08/2022

Office of the MP Successfully Commemorates Widows Day

The Office of the MP for Whange Central Constituency recently hosted a special event to commemorate this year's International Widows Day

The event was successfully held over the weekend at the Lions Club community hall at the no. 1 Colliery

The event was held belatedly since this year's International Widows Day was celebrated across the world on Thursday 23rd June 2022

The successful local event was co-hosted in partnership with the Whange Widows Network and the Widows Fountain of Life that is based at Chitungwiza

A number of senior representatives from various communities stakeholders managed to attend the event

In particular, the event was graced by a big number of local ward councillors that included among others the following:

Ward 5 - Tendai Sibanda

Ward 8 - Theresa Mutara

Ward 9 - Fani Chirwa

Ward 10 - Steven Chisose

Ward 11 - Cosmas Nyoni

Ward 12 - Jowani Tshuma

Ward 14 - Albert Sibanda

Ward 15 - Lovemore Ncube

There was also a surprise attendance by Rocky Kamzonda. who is the ward councillor from Masvingo Central constituency

During the event, the widows hosted a special local Parliament that enabled some widows representatives drawn from all the 17 wards across the constituency to deliberate on both the challenges and opportunities available for all widows in Whange

The honourable Speaker of the special session was Serah Phiri from ward 6

The hosting of the event also served to enhance the reputation of our Hon. MP Daniel Molokele as a nationally recognised parliamentary champion on issues related to widows in the country

It is possible that the event was the only one held across all the 210 constituencies in Zimbabwe

Thulani Moyo
PA/Spokesperson
Office of the MP for Whange Central Constituency
Mobile: 077 648 3659

28/07/2022

Don't miss out today Thursday 28 July 2022 at 2pm the Mid-Term Budget and Economic Review by



https://t.co/JXgpZFqGnP

27/07/2022

Whange Central Constituency CDF Now Disbursed

The office of the MP for Whange Central constituency would like to confirm that the Parliament of Zimbabwe has now disbursed the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) allocation for 2022

The amount allocated for this year is 11.4 million RTGS

Originally, the local CDF Committee had resolved to purchase at least 20 water retention tanks of 5000 litres each

However due to the rapid depreciation of our local currency in the last few months, the CDF Committee eventually managed to buy only 12 tanks of 2000 litres each

The tanks will be handed over mostly to the public primary schools that are located in the urban wards of the constituency

Conversely, the allocation for 2023 will be allocated to the rural wards

Thulani Moyo
PA/Spokesperson
Office of the MP
Whange Central constituency

17/07/2022

*Office of the MP Consoles Kashika Family*

The Office of the MP for Whange Central constituency recently paid a visit to Kashika to personally offer its deepest condolences to the Shoko family.

Kashika village is located in one of the most remote rural parts of Whange and it falls under Ward 12.

The Shoko family recently lost one of its sons after he was accidentally killed by a passing by truck owned by a Chinese company.

The delegation from the Office of the MP was led by Honourable Daniel Molokele, who was accompanied by all his staff members.

There were also some local ward councillors that included Jowani Tshuma (Ward 12 Nekabandama), Morris Sibanda (Ward 13 Dinde), Fani Chirwa (Ward 9 Lwendulu) and Tendai Sibanda (Ward 5 Empumalanga)

The delegation further included some local communities representatives from areas across the constituency such as Makwika, Lusumbami, Sinderela and Madumabisa

Speaking during the sombre occasion, the Hon. MP Molokele expressed his most sincere condolences to the family. He also brought some groceries and emphasized that the Office of the MP would remain available to offer any form of assistance that the Shoko family needed

The mother of the deceased person, Constance Shoko also spoke on behalf of the bereaved family. She expressed her full appreciation over the kind gesture from the Office of the MP. She also requested the office of the MP to help the Shoko family to actively follow up some of the unfulfilled promises from the Chinese company that owns the truck that killed their family member.

Thulani Moyo
PA/Spokesperson
Office of the MP for Whange Central constituency
Mobile: 077 648 3659

09/07/2022

Pictures taken at Lusaka on 8th July after a strategy meeting for Zambian MPs on domestic funding for health in Africa in line with the Abuja Declaration and also on the 7th Replenishment Campaign process for the Global Fund

https://t.co/UpiuikeWxG

01/07/2022

Office of the MP Consoles its Advisor Muleya
The Office of the MP for Whange Central constituency would like to express its heartfelt sorrow and deepest condolences to Simon Muleya who lost his son at Bulawayo on Wednesday 29th June 2022

Muleya is one of the members of the Advisory Committee for the Office of the MP

His son Desmond had not been well for several months and had been transferred to Bulawayo in a desperate effort to save his life

Mourners are gathered at the number three colliery (Makwika) at house number F12

The Office of the MP appeals to everyone to contribute towards the 750 USD cash that the Muleya family urgently needs to pay for both the coffin and transport costs from Bulawayo to Whange

All the donations should be sent directly to Simon Muleya using the following details:

Ecocash - 0776602659

BancABC Hwange branch account number 11710923302007