FIRST Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa, who is the country's patron for environment, was on Saturday left spellbound during a tour of the state-of-the-art sawmill being installed at Allied Timbers Cashel Valley Estate.
The development is expected to boost the firm's production, exports and create employment for locals.
She led in the planting of indigenous trees on the estate and also came face-to-face with environmentally unfriendly practices where illegal settlers were wantonly cutting down trees and starting fires on the estate in search of mice.
The settlers, the First Lady heard, were hindering operations as they had occupied space needed for the plantation of trees.
She further addressed thorny issues of child marriages and unwanted pregnancies which are affecting the community thus forcing the children to drop out of school in large numbers.
Amai Mnangagwa also heard that the surrounding farming compounds are hardest hit by HIV as the communities cared less to learn regarding HIV transmission.
Deputy Minister of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Barbra Rwodzi informed the First Lady about the firm's plans to build a clinic for the benefit of the locals around the Cashel Valley Estate and a boarding school as part of its corporate social responsibility programme.
The idea of a boarding school, Deputy Minister Rwodzi said, came about after the firm noticed that the children around the estate were not finishing school and rushing into marriage so they said maybe by keeping them in boarding school, this would reduce the child marriages cases and early and unwanted pregnancies.
The First Lady expressed gratitude to Allied Timbers for giving back to the community and working well with the local chiefs.
"I am happy that the firm is working well with the community for its development," she said.
She, however, decried the issue of rampant cutting down of trees, veld fires and child marriages which are rife in the area.
She turned to the chiefs and humbly pleaded with them to work with their communities in finding lasting solutions to the challenges raised so that people follow the laws of the land to which they are the custodians.
Deputy Minister Rwodzi invited the mother of the nation to bring her Gota/Nhanga/Ixhiba programme to the estate for the benefit of the children in the community.
Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Nokhuthula Matsikenyere confirmed that indeed illegal settlers had taken a bigger chunk of the estate but added that plans were underway to relocate them.
So elated was the First Lady seeing that locally-trained engineers who had left the country to work in South Africa, Canada and China, among other tradesman were actively involved in setting up the sawmill.
The former University of Zimbabwe students returned home due to the Second Republic's sound policies which were conducive for both business and empowerment of youths.
Capital projects taking place on the estate dovetail with President Mnangagwa's "Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo (A country is developed by its owners)" mantra.
The First Lady said the resuscitation of Allied Timbers through capital injection from the Government proved that the country and its facilities can be improved step-by-step.
"It is our responsibility as Zimbabweans to restore our beloved nation to its glory days. What we have witnessed here is just but the start of it and that we can achieve for the love of our country.
"As the patron for the Environment, Tourism and the Hospitality Industry, I would like to encourage reforestation across the 10 provinces of our country in order to preserve the environment and existing ecosystems crucial for our surroundings.
"To the workers here at Allied Timbers, I say let us work hard for the development of our nation. This empowerment opportunity should be cherished as we simultaneously feed our families and develop our country," she said.
The First Lady said she was charmed by the fact that some people who were operating machines at the company were young people who once left the country, but decided to come back and rebuild the country.
"I thank you vana vangu for your decision to come back home and serve the nation. See how proud you have made us with these big machines," she said.
She also thanked the firm's management for good leadership.
Allied Timbers chief executive Mr Remigio Nenzou said the firm had so far invested US$8million into the project which is at 90 percent completion and expected to have sunk in US$12,5 million on completion.
"On this project, to date we have spent US$8 million and we estimate to spend US$12,5 million to completion. We are at 90 percent completion but we will then receive the electricity line by end of April.
"We intend to use the equipment before the end of March, but will be running it on a generator. Our plan on this estate is that we shall also have a state-of-the-art clinic that will cater for the community as well as our employees.
"As we produce timber from this state-of the art saw mill, the estate employs a total of 287 employees. With the coming in of this equipment a further 100 employees will be taken on board to manage the sawmill and over and above that we shall also have a value addition factory here at Cashel where after drying the timber we will then paint it all round and export direct from this estate into the region and also into our market here in Zimbabwe," he said.
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Dr Brian Chindondondo, a co-founder and chief executive of Stub Engineers who were contracted to work on the sawmill said her was glad to be back home together with his colleagues.
"Allied timbers bought their sawmill in Germany and we were responsible for lining up the equipment and provide its shelter so that it becomes a sawmill. We came back because of the new dispensation and its vast opportunities for young people. We thank the current Government for the upliftment of youths and encouragement," he said.
"Having met the First Lady today and her drive to uplift the youth and encouraging the youth to work hard for the development of our country, we appreciate the efforts that she is doing in terms of upliftment of youths in the country."
The Allied Timbers sawmill is expected to be a game changer because it has one of the biggest timber drying facilities in the country hence adding value to the timber when exporting it.
The sawmill has a capacity of producing 40 000 cubic metres of kiln dried timber per year.
The sawmill is expected to result in the production of quality sawn timber for the construction industry, pallet manufacturing, crafting and furniture.
Read the original article on The Herald.
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