I was taken aback by this article:
https://www.newsday.co.zw/2013/05/22/coal-mining-the-way-forward/ [newsday May 22, 2013]
1. It is worrying that our country does not have an inventory of its mineral reserves, It more worrisome that our neighbors are gearing up infrastructural development over medium to long term scales whilst we literally wallow and scrap by.
3. It is absurd that Indaba after indaba..nothing of value comes out as resolutions that can't be executed year in year out are passed. Further so, that a highlight business coup, for the past 6 years is a deal that will barely bring in a mere 100million dollars and only 40million directly. It is ridiculous that we cannot supply key national institutions such as Sable, the sole supplier of core fertilizer and to tobacco farmers who've ravaged forests for drying wood.
4. It is disconcerting that our media, with all the tools and resources available cannot highlight these issues, (which are actual losses) rather than get caught up 100% in the political gaming by the Mliswa's, Moyo's and Gono's whose issues are less relevant than those of my "dream" capital of Westoros in my beloved Game of Thrones!
5. China sucks up half of the World's coal production, 75% of SA production goes into the Asian market with the rest going to Europe, and despite being the 6th largest producer on this, our god-given planet, they cannot keep up. The country has invested 18, that's right, 18 billion dollars into its rail line!(What's our total budget for F14 people?? 4.1billion..sad).
6. Maybe point 5 wasn't a worry, but more of a statement of facts, but what is worrying about our neighbors' hunk of greenbacks??well, let me tell you what 18billion dollars, or 201billion rand will do for them. The funds will revamp their entire rail structure, mainly load carrying locomotives capacity, from 5.5 right now to 16million tonnes over the next 6years, we are talking of SA, their commodities market according to their Department of Mineral Resources is already worth 371billion dollars! jobs, lines of credit, new businesses, increased monitory and fiscal space for the central bank.....all in all,improved quality of life....in the next 6years! and that is just one area of their economy! Its worrying when i ask you and probably myself, if we can name one project we can point to in Zim??
7. The locomotives will be delivered in record time, partly because they have partnered Germans, Italians and the Chinese- but also that the agreement specifically states that they will do most of the manufacturing in South Africa! yes! Practical technology and skills transfer! What is worrying though is that in the long term, assuming that we get our house inorder and that the foreign "infidels" decide to come in (with the holy grail that is FDI!), were will we get the machinery??(S.A) who will service it(SA), were will the SA engineering firms get the brainpower and Human Resources (Zim), will we get the same plants and technology in our beloved land??(probably not!).
8. VALE SA [Brazilian based] has budgeted 4.5billion for a rail line and port in Mozambique for the fuel, our dear friends, the Batswana, according to their Chamber of Mines, need 33billion in rail investment to harvest their 200billion tonne reserve of coal!We are getting left behind cdes! the time to act is now!
9. In the age of Information and technology, and as the largest industry by resources, the Chamber of mines could at least have an up to date website?? What?, foreign investors are interested in percentages and reports dating back 2009-2010? Were are facts? were are the maps?the history? Are we that busy and "broke" that we can't afford a descent web page design for US$300.00 by an IT student yet we can afford indabas that costs thousands at the V/Falls??
- Opportunities-
The coal industry can only grow- most nuclear plants, specifically in Germany, are coming to the end of their life cycle, due to the nature of Nuclear power and the hazards of disposing its waste, the Germans are looking into thermal solutions as an alternative. The Japanese have barely gotten back on their feet with the Fukushima disaster and have already invested sizable funding torwards thermal plants. Then there is China...need i say more?
-Up in Smoke-
The coal sector is a reserve...noone talks about it because its relative value is unknown...until recently when Billy and Thema "went to town" over broken promises and such. There are vast tracks of deposits of the mineral... unquantified and being bought up by speculators, questionable millionaires and a few political heavies....are any of these persons patriots who want to see growth and development in the country and in the areas were the resources are? Are any of these people hedge fund managers or financiers who can drum up funds for starting ventures and empires such as the likes of the oil rich UAE? Do our current administrators and their shadow or rather "shadowy" counterparts in parliament have an inkling as to what needs to be done?? Are ministers Moyo & Cde Chinoz the front runners to minister of the year? I do not know.