Mliswa sees light on Chinese steel plant

Harare- OUTSPOKEN Norton legislator Temba Mliswa showered praises on Chinese firm Dinson Iron and Steel Company (Disco) after touring the Manhize plant on Tuesday.

Mliswa registered his appreciation on his official Twitter handle where he revealed that Disco had advanced plans to build a 1000km railway line that will link it to Hwange.

The Norton legislator has been an acerbic critic of Chinese investments, including a sister operation of Disco in Mashonaland West, but after being granted access he has come out more enlightened.

“At a time the vast majority of long distance transportation has shifted to roads,with devastating damage to our network, the railway project is essential,” said Mliswa.

“The whole enterprise of Disco encompassing the Manhize Iron and Steel Plant, Ferrochrome in Chegutu,the Hwange Coke Battery Investment and Thermal Power Station Investment has seen a massive US$1.5 billion invested,” Mliswa added.

The project is funded by Dinson Iron and Steel, a unit of Tsingshan Holdings. Tsingshan is the world’s biggest stainless-steel company and became the top nickel producer in the world in 2018.

The company had annual revenue of US$53 billion in 2021. Tsingshan’s major operations are in Indonesia, the world’s second-biggest nickel supplier.

Tsingshan already owns Afrochine, which produces 100,000 tonnes of ferrochrome in Selous

The company also runs a 350,000-tonne-per-year coke plant in Hwange.

In an interview, company authorities revealed that they target 1.2 million tonnes of steel per year under its first phase.

The project will include a carbon and steel plant, an iron ore mine, and a ferrochrome plant.

The first phase will have five furnaces, while in the future the company says it may expand to as many as 12 furnaces, more than doubling the initial output.

The processing plant will be 1.5 kilometres long and 600 metres wide.