Zimpapers Logo

Oliver Kazunga Senior Business Reporter
HWANGE-based coal mining firm, Makomo Resources, has increased its workforce to about 600 from 38 when it started operations in 2010.Makomo is one of the five companies in Matabeleland North that were awarded special grants by the government to venture into coal mining operations a few years ago.

The company’s general manager Samson Mabvira told Business Chronicle they were looking forward to recruiting more people as the company expands operations.

“When we started in 2010, we employed 38 people and the number has increased to about 600. We’ve done a lot in terms of employment both direct and indirect. Our intention is to employ more people as we expand operations,” he said.

Mabvira would not be drawn into ascertaining the number of locals that Makomo employs saying he did not have the figures off hand.

“In terms of indirect employment, we’ve also talked to the community and the local traditional leadership to say produce the bricks and we’ll buy the bricks. And we’re actually buying most of their bricks,” he added.

“We’re also encouraging self-help projects in the community. We’ve drilled boreholes for them to embark on green projects whereby we’re saying whatever you produce give it to your families or sell it to us, which is also an indirect way of employment.”

Mabvira said his company was also supporting the anti-poaching campaign by the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZPWMA).

“We’re at the periphery of the national parks, so we’re supporting the anti-poaching programme by the parks authority through supplying them with 250 litres of fuel per month,” he said.

Mabvira said Makomo Resources was also running educational programmes to encourage children from nearby schools such as Shangano Primary School to excel in their education.

“When we started operations, children in the community didn’t have the motive to excel so to encourage them to excel in school, we’re giving them food and transport and that has actually changed their mindset as evidenced by the improved pass rate,” he said.

The company has also built a classroom block at Nekatamba Secondary School and it intends to build more blocks in the near future. At present, Makomo Resources plans to penetrate the regional export market by supplying different coal products such as coal peas and cobbles.

The firm is courting coal customers in Zambia and South Africa and hopes to finalise the discussions before the end of the year.

To date the firm boasts of improved production capacity of 250,000 tonnes of coal per month from 5,000 tonnes after increasing the number of its coal crushers from one at the early stages of its operations to two.

The company commissioned a $14 million coal washing plant in July this year to create a lee-way to penetrate the export market by supplying a product that suits the market.