The Cabinet has approved the construction of a railway line that will link the country with Beira port in Mozambique.
Zimbabwe uses ports in other countries for its external trade such as Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania, Walvis Bay in Namibia and Durban in South Africa, but Beira gives the country the shortest gateway to the sea.
Speaking to the media soon after a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the Minister of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services, Monica Mutsvangwa, said:
Following a presentation by the transport minister and Infrastructure Development Cabinet approved in principle the proposal for Balmoral Corporation investments to undertake the construction of a railway line and a port at Beira on a built, operate and transfer basis in order to facilitate the transportation of minerals.
According to a Daily News report, at least 70 per cent of Zimbabwe’s exports reportedly go through South Africa.
However, the distance between Harare and Beira is only 559km, while the distance between Harare and Durban is 1 683km, more than twice the distance to the former.
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