Soda Zhemu
Zhemu Soda | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister of Energy and Power Development | |
| Assumed office August 2020 | |
| President | Emmerson Mnangagwa |
| Preceded by | Fortune Chasi |
| Constituency | Muzarabani North |
Zhemu Soda is a Zimbabwean politician and the Minister of Mines and Mining Development. He is also the Member of Parliament for Muzarabani North under the Zanu PF ticket. He was appointed the Minister of Energy and Power Development in 2020 after Fortune Chasi was fired.[1]
Personal Details
Born: 4 June 1974. Centenary.
Marriage: to Precious. They have one daughter and three sons.[2]
School / Education
Primary: 1981 to 1987, Muzarabani Primary.
Secondary: Muzarabani Secondary School, finished at Machaya Secondary School.
Tertiary: BCom in Accounting from Zimbabwe Open University.
Masters in Business Administration (MBA).
Certificate in Quality management systems.
Career
Political
He joined politics in 1994 as a member of the youth league of Zanu PF. Zhemu rose through the ranks to become secretary for education at the district level, main wing. His appointment, in 2020, as the new Minister of Energy was his first time in public office.
In 2018, he was elected MP for Muzarabani North on a Zanu PF ticket. He retained the seat in the 2023 Harmonised Elections after defeating Citizens' Coalition Change (CCC) candidate Agreement Takawira Kagura.
He was appointed Minister of Energy and Power Development in 2020 by President Emmerson Mnangagwa after Fortune Chasi was fired.[3]
Following the 23-24 August 2023 elections, President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced his new cabinet on 11 September 2023. The Minister of Mines and Mining Development is Soda Zhemu.
Professional
He worked for Cottco Sanyati beginning as a clerk and rose through the ranks to become the depot accountant. Until 2004 and later joined Alliance Ginneries as Regional Manager but still within the cotton industry before retiring in 2017.
Events
Hwange Expansion
In February 2023, Ministry of Energy and Power Development Minister Soda Zhemu said the expansion of the Hwange Thermal Power Station’s Unit 7 is 99 percent complete, with only the synchronisation of the whole system set to be done. The Unit was expected to add 300MW to the national grid upon completion. Synchronisation would be completed anytime this month (i.e. February). Hwange Unit 7 had actually progressed with all other systems having undergone commissioning tests and they were successful. One of the critical stages in the commissioning of a power station is the achievement of certain revolutions of the turbine and that was achieved. We expect that anytime from now given that the whole system is 99 percent complete; we are only left with one percent which is the synchronisation of the whole system. Work on the project started in August 2018 using an initial $199 million from China Eximbank but its completion was delayed by the outbreak of the coronavirus in late 2019. According to the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) website, 13 February 2023, Hwange Thermal Power Station was generating 378MW. [4]
References
- ↑ Casper Dube, [1], Savanna News, Published: 14 August, 2020, Accessed: 14 August, 2020
- ↑ Daniel Chigunwe, [2], The Herald, Published: 13 August, 2018, Accessed: 14 August, 2020
- ↑ Farai Mudzingwa, Fortune Chasi dismissed from his post as Minister of Energy… To be replaced by Soda Zhemu, Techzim, Published: 14 August 2020. Retrieved: 12 September 2023
- ↑ Hwange Thermal Power Station Unit 7 Now 99% Complete – Soda, Pindula, Published: 13 January 2023, Retrieved: 2 March 2023
