The Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has approved the relocation of the Chinese-owned Labenmon Cement Mine to the Umvumila industrial area, near the United College of Education (UCE).
The mine will be situated on stands 15 895 and 15 896, covering an area of 5.6145 hectares. Initially, the project was proposed for the Cowdray Park suburb but has now been shifted to Umvumila.
The council received an application from Labenmon Investment (Pvt) Ltd, a subsidiary of West International Holding Limited, an international group that integrates cement production and marketing in Africa and Central Asia.
“West International Holdings had five major sectors that included cement, gypsum board, glass, cement products and international logistics and had production bases in Mozambique, where they operate Dugongo Cement, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Angola and other countries,” according to the latest council minutes.
Labenmon Investment plans to export some of its products to regional markets such as Botswana, Zambia, and Malawi.
“The establishment of a cement mixing plant is expected to benefit Bulawayo Metropolitan Province and other provinces in many ways such as increased supply of cement, employment creation for more than 500 local people, increased export earnings for the province, enhanced technology and equipment level of the domestic cement industry in Zimbabwe,” read the council report.
Chairperson of the Finance and Development Committee Councillor Mpumelelo Moyo, confirmed that the initial approval for the relocation was granted in September 2024.
“We first approved this on 26 September 2024 as the Finance and Development Committee. I am so pleased we are bringing investment to Bulawayo. What we want is development, and we encourage more businesses, both local and international, to register and invest in Bulawayo. We welcome them with open arms,” Councillor Moyo said.
He also emphasized that Umvumila is a designated special economic zone, making it an attractive location for investors.
“Umvumila has 188 hectares of land available for investors, and it’s close to UCE. This area is a special economic zone, and we are simplifying processes to make it easier for investors to acquire space here. We especially encourage businesses with cutting-edge technologies to come and invest in this area,” Moyo added.
