Manhize plant pumps new steel as Dinson slashes costly imports

Zimbabwe’s steel comeback just flexed hard, as Manhize started pumping out new products, slashing imports, and quietly reminding everyone it plans to dominate again.

Why this suddenly matters

• Zimbabwe is lining itself up for a serious iron-and-steel revival.
• Dinson Iron and Steel Company just widened what it makes, and that is a big deal for manufacturing and mining.
• Hot wire rods and mill steel balls are now rolling off the line, which cuts reliance on foreign supply.

The money angle hits first

• Since Disco switched on, Zimbabwe has been keeping about US$500,000 per year, which used to vanish into steel imports.
• That savings figure alone has people talking about industrialisation actually moving forward.

What Disco is producing right now

• The catalogue is not small anymore.
• Pig iron, steel billets, and deformed bars were already in play.
• Hot wire rods joined the mix, feeding products like mesh wire and nails.
• Mining mill balls are also live, feeding grinding operations across the mining sector.

Why downstream industries are watching

• This expansion turns Disco into a go-to supplier for local manufacturers.
• Fewer delays, lower costs, and less begging foreign suppliers for stock.
• Once fully ramped, the company expects to rank among the biggest steel producers in sub-Saharan Africa.

What management is saying

• Disco project manager Wilfred Motsi framed the expansion as part of a value-add push.
• He spoke during a tour of the Manhize Steel Plant attended by senior officials and diplomats.
• His message was simple: the plant is no longer warming up; it is delivering.

Capacity is already maxed

• According to Motsi, the plant is running at 100 percent capacity.
• Phase one output is locked in at 600,000 tonnes of steel per year.
• Production has already outgrown local demand.

Exports are already moving

• Steel from Manhize is heading into Zambia.
• South Africa is on the export list.
• Malawi is also receiving the product.
• This is not future planning; it is already happening.

Government reaction is upbeat

• Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said the import cuts are meaningful.
• Small and medium enterprises are seeing cheaper, locally sourced steel.
• Deformed bars, once imported, are now accessible at lower prices.

Political backing stays strong

• Webster Shamu praised Disco’s role in economic growth.
• He pushed for learners to tour the plant and see industrial development firsthand.
• He also floated Bulawayo as a future processing hub tied to Manhize output.

Beyond steel alone

• The delegation toured Disco’s community projects.
• Schools, clinics, and a road were built as part of its CSR footprint.
• The investment is not only industrial, but it is also local.

Who actually owns the muscle

• Disco is a Zimbabwean subsidiary of Tsingshan Holding Group.
• Tsingshan also runs Dinson Colliery in Hwange.
• Afrochine Smelting in Selous is part of the same footprint.

Where production is heading

• Phase one targets 600,000 tonnes annually.
• Phase two doubles that to 1.2 million tonnes.
• Phase three jumps to 3.2 million tonnes.
• The final phase aims for five million tonnes every year.

What does that mean long-term

• Hundreds of millions in foreign currency earnings are projected.
• Job creation scales with each phase.
• Zimbabwe’s steel story is shifting from promise to output, and people are paying attention.