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Nqobile Tshili, [email protected]

THE construction industry continues to benefit more from the Second Republic’s massive public infrastructure projects across the country, which have been credited for rejuvenating local contractors and stimulating economic activity along the value chain.

Under President Mnangagwa’s administration Zimbabwe has recorded an increased impetus on road construction, in particular, with local contractors scooping tenders to undertake most of the works.

This is a departure from the past where foreign companies were winning tenders to do road works, which resulted in externalisation of foreign currency.

In an interview, Bulawayo headquartered Asphalt Products chief executive officer, Engineer Francis Mangwendeza, whose company is involved in some of the major civil construction works in the country, said in almost 30 years of his company’s operation, he has not experienced business as has been brought by the Second Republic.

“We have been in business for almost 30 years and in those 30 years I can tell you that we have not seen the level of activity that we are seeing now in terms of civil works,” he said. 

“I’m also a past president of the Zimbabwe Building Contractors Association, and one of the things that we have always advocated is that we need indigenous participation in the economy, particularly in the building and civil works. 

“We previously invited the President when he was the Vice President, during the First Republic to be a guest speaker at one of our conferences where he told us that the Government can’t do everything for us when we are sitting,” said Eng Mangwendeza.

He said after listening to President Mnangagwa’s advice then, the construction sector started lobbying the Government to involve it in the construction of major roads.

Eng Mangwendeza said the construction of the Beitbridge-Harare Highway, for instance, became their breakthrough when the Government engaged the local contractors to do the major works. 

“This culminated in five companies being contracted to do the Beitbridge to Harare Highway and four of them are indigenous companies. That makes us very proud. Fast forward to the recent SADC Summit, a lot of the work that was done in Harare was by the local contractors,” said Eng Mangwendeza.

“So, we have come a long way and we are proud of that particular aspect that the Government is promoting that we as Zimbabweans have to build our own Zimbabwe. Indeed, Nyika Inovakwa Nevene Vayo/Ilizwe Lakhiwa Ngabanikazi Balo.

He said local companies have proven to have the same capacity that foreign contractors have, adding that due to road construction projects, some of the companies that were facing closure are now operating at full throttle due to Government’s projects. 

“We have grown exponentially and it is something that we must be proud of. The Second Republic has brought a new dawn to civil contractors,” said Eng Mangwendeza. 

“It has created a lot of employment, imagine the number of people who were employed in the Beitbridge-Harare Road. But to put it into context for you, I will use our own company, at the height of hyperinflation in 2008 we ended up with three people at office but today we have more than 120 employees and this is at a time when we will not be very busy,” said Eng Mangwendeza.

“When we get contracts we also take a lot of contract employees. The exponential growth in our company also translates to exponential growth in the number of employees. I’m sure we have the same trends in other companies.”

He said President Mnangagwa’s extension of the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme to 2026 is expected to bring more business for the sector.

Eng Mangwendeza also lauded the currency reforms that the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has introduced as the willing buyer, willing seller has proven to be very effective in accessing foreign currency.

He called for discipline in the private sector while lambasting speculative pricing and manipulation of the exchange rate. 

“Yes, there might be challenges here and there but we can’t compare them to the previous challenges we used to experience. As far as we are concerned that system is working. 

“If we as a company start charging people at an inflated rate, let’s say US$1:ZWG25, it is the private sector that will suffer.

“More companies in the private sector will suffer because they are creating inflation,” said Eng Mangwendeza.

“But if we take the reverse and have all the companies stick to the exchange rate, we would find that it will work. Government will not go broke but we as the private sector will go broke. 

“If we do not support the initiatives that the Government is putting in place, we would be tripping ourselves to  the flow. We don’t need to do that.” – @nqotshili.