….as Minister Soda Zhemu Tours High Impact Projects Driving Masvingo Towards US$8 Billion GDP Dream
Tonderai Saharo
News Editor
MASVINGO– It was a tour that began with cautious optimism and ended with nothing short of sheer admiration. Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Honourable Soda Zhemu, has wrapped up his official visit to Masvingo Province on a high note, declaring himself deeply impressed by the game-changing strides being made under the Second Republic toward Zimbabwe’s ambitious goal of becoming an upper-middle-class economy by 2030.
From gleaming lithium processing plants to sprawling agricultural greenbelts rising from once-virgin land, the minister witnessed firsthand the kind of progress that turns national aspirations into tangible reality.
A US$300 Million Bet on Lithium
The ministerial delegation, accompanied by Permanent Secretary Nick Mangwana and Dr. Edmore Pazvakavambwa, kicked off its journey at Bikita Minerals, where a jaw-dropping investment of more than US$300 million has transformed the site into a global lithium powerhouse since 2022.
Walking through the state-of-the-art processing plant, Minister Zhemu watched as lithium ore was converted into high-value concentrates right before his eyes.
“This is a demonstration of the Second Republic’s commitment to ensuring that Zimbabwe derives maximum value from its mineral resources through beneficiation and value addition.”
“Instead of exporting raw minerals, we are promoting local processing that creates jobs, boosts export earnings and drives industrialisation,” Zhemu
Mine management proudly briefed the delegation on impressive production performance, rigorous safety standards, and ongoing investments – all designed to position Bikita Minerals among the world’s leading lithium producers.
Powering Progress: The Great Zimbabwe Hydro Station
From the mines, the team headed to Kyle Dam to tour the Great Zimbabwe 5-megawatt hydro power station – a project already making waves by feeding clean energy directly into the national grid and alleviating electricity challenges across the province.
Nuanetsi Ranch: Where Dreams Meet Dirt
But the true showstopper awaited in Mwenezi East. At Nuanetsi Ranch – a sprawling, indigenously owned agricultural estate spanning over 30,000 hectares the minister witnessed what he described as nothing short of a revolution.
Overseen by the government-owned Development Trust of Zimbabwe (DTZ) and trustees, the ranch is being transformed into a massive agro-industrial greenbelt using water from the Tugwi-Mukosi Dam.
Multiple private investors are partnering to establish extensive sugarcane, citrus, and lucerne plantations – a project projected to create over 15,000 direct jobs and contribute up to US$2 billion annually to Zimbabwe’s GDP.
Even more heartening, the ranch provides land and secure permits to thousands of families, including those displaced by the Tugwi-Mukosi Dam, integrating them as out-growers in the broader agricultural development.
Block 5: A Living Testimony of the Ranch
On Block 5, the minister found the most compelling evidence of what Zimbabweans can achieve.
There, an indigenous farmer only identified as Lioness and his team have already cleared 2,500 hectares of virgin land, with 224 hectares now under irrigated sugarcane – ready for harvest next year. Plans are already afoot to bring an additional 1,000 hectares under cultivation by year’s end.
“The level of productivity that we are witnessing at Nuanetsi Ranch is very encouraging.”
“On Block 5, an indigenous farmer and his team are already becoming a testimony that Zimbabweans can utilise our resources to be productive at such a magnitude. I believe they can do even more when they have access to financial capital.”
“With this kind of progress, Masvingo can achieve its aspiration of a US$8 billion GDP.”
“One thing is crystal clear: the Second Republic’s vision for 2030 is no longer a distant dream; it’s being built, block by block, in the heart of Zimbabwe,” Minister Zhemu said.
