Newly appointed National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) chief executive officer Munyaradzi Charangwa has set out an aggressive turnaround agenda centred on boosting freight volumes and restoring the parastatal’s financial performance.
Charangwa, who assumed office on April 1, said the immediate priority is to reposition rail as the backbone of bulk cargo transport, as rising output in mining and agriculture places increasing strain on road infrastructure.
“The economy is growing at quite a fast pace. The mining sector and agriculture are putting a lot of pressure on our roads,” he said.
“So the idea is to migrate bulk cargo from road to rail. About 80% of our revenue is already coming from freight, but there is significant scope to scale that capacity.”
The new CEO signalled that his first 100 days will focus on a diagnostic review to underpin a revised turnaround strategy.
“In the first 100 days, we need to improve financial performance through a comprehensive analysis,” he said.
“We will carry out an assessment and come up with a revised strategy. There is the Mutapa strategy and other funding models, and we are looking at a hybrid approach that aligns with our goals. That strategy will then inform our operations going forward.”
NRZ has faced persistent operational and funding constraints, limiting its ability to fully capitalise on demand for bulk haulage.
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Charangwa takes over at a time when the government is pushing to revitalise state-owned enterprises, with rail seen as critical to lowering logistics costs and improving industrial competitiveness.
Respina Zinyanduko had been serving as acting CEO following the retirement of Peter Kuvarega in 2020.
