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Cde Cain Mathema

Shamiso Dzingire, Business Reporter
MATABELELAND North province is set to become the centre of a petrochemical industry in the country, Provincial Affairs Minister Ambassador Cain Mathema said yesterday.

His sentiments come a week after President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced that a special grant has been approved for a company that will produce fuel from coal bed methane in the province for the whole country.

Addressing beneficiaries of Command Livestock in Jotsholo last Friday, President Mnangagwa said the province will produce eight million litres of fuel against the five million litres consumed daily.

In an interview with Business Chronicle, Ambassador Mathema said:

“I’ve been advocating for this since I became Minister of State here in Matabeleland North. It’s a project that we have been waiting for as a province and I am happy it is finally coming to fruition.

“Our gas reserves are almost limitless and we have coal as well. We are thinking of doing something like what Sasol is doing in South Africa which is producing fuels and oils from both coal and gas.”

On May 17, the Government signed a $5,2 billion deal with Nkosikhona Holdings, a South African company that will see the country produce over eight million litres of liquid fuels per day from coal in Lusulu, Binga.

The deal will be actualised under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Verify Engineering Private Limited, an agent of the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development and Nkosikhona Holdings.

The deal will see the beneficiation of coal for the production of liquid fuels, fertilisers and chemicals. It also covers coal production and the setting up of the beneficiation plant in Lisungu area of the Zambezi basin where coal is abundant.

Matabeleland North is rich other minerals such as gold, diamonds and lithium.

Ambassador Mathema said the project will create employment for hundreds of youth in the province and will see professionals from other parts of the country flock to Matabeleland North for employment.

“Imagine the number of young people and professionals who will be employed here. We are very happy and thankful to the President as Mat North because we have been talking about this project for a very long time.”

As the country moves towards devolution of power that will see provinces running their economies, Ambassador Mathema said part of the money generated by companies involved in the beneficiation of coal bed methane will be channelled towards developing the province.

“Some of the monies made by the companies involved, instead of going to Harare in the form of taxes will remain in Mat North. We will then use that money to develop our roads, bridges, clinics, and schools.

“We hope some of the young people from Matabeleland North will be trained in the field of science and technology with bias to of petro-chemical industry itself,” Ambassador Mathema added.

@ShamisoDzingire