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Mr Christopher Dube

Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Correspondent
THE Bulawayo City Council (BCC) intends to attract investors in the energy, hospitality and infrastructural sectors during a six-day visit to Malaysia.

Council officials are part of a business delegation led by the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs in Bulawayo Nomthandazo Eunice Moyo that left the country on Sunday to the Far East.

The council is led by the city’s Town Clerk Mr Christopher Dube with the Director of Engineering Services, Engineer Simela Dube and acting community services development officer Mr Brian Hlongwane being part of the city’s investment crew.

Mr Hlongwane said the council had three major investment areas they wanted to woo Malaysians into investing in.

“You’re aware that as a country we are short of energy, power generation, solar energy, green energy and conversion of waste to energy. We also look at the hospitality industry. You know we always had a problem towards the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) where accommodation is in short supply in the city. So we have identified several sites which we are putting out for the construction of hotels in that industry,” said Mr Hlongwane.

“In addition to that, our infrastructure is in a very bad state and we’re looking for capital to assist us in that respect. Those are the three major areas that we are targeting.”

He said the real estate business was open for investment considering the increase in the number of people who need accommodation in the city. Mr Hlongwane said the city’s housing backlog was hovering around 120 000, which presents an opportunity for property developers.

He said as a result of the short life span on ex-Japanese vehicles, the city might need an investor to create a re-cycling firm as scrap material from cars was polluting the environment.

“There is also concern in the environmental sector, these imported cars are breaking down. Their life span is between three and five years and are getting dumped all over.

“It’s not very evident now, but if you go to Kelvin (a car scrap dump industrial site) you’ll see what I’m talking about. We also need to invest in a smelting plant because five to 10 years from now no one knows how the environment will be like,” said Mr Hlongwane.

He said the council has previously exploited regional partnerships and going to the East will broaden investment opportunities and help create jobs.

“Our thrust has always been to create employment, get foreign investors. Remember as a nation we have always said we’re looking to the East and this is part of what we are doing in supporting the national thrust,” Mr Hlongwane said.

The municipality’s targeted investment areas complement the Government’s Zim-Asset blue print where infrastructural development and power generation are key to economic development.

@nqotshili