THE report about the reopening of Mulungushi Textiles of Zambia (MTZ) must have come as a relief to the people of Kabwe as well as the nation as a whole.
The chitenge-producing company, which was closed almost 10 years ago, will soon be fully revitalised, thereby giving a new lease of life to the former mining town which at one time earned itself the ‘ghost town’ tag.
The news about the imminent complete revival of the once-upon-a-time giant firm, which accounted for the majority of the working people in the formal sector, is a relief to many youths who are currently struggling for job opportunities.
This will completely change the economic landscape for the town and could just mark the turnaround for the local economy which has been yearning for investments for a long time now.
The commencement of the initial operations of the factory by the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) is a clear indication of the Government’s resolve and desire to revive Kabwe District in earnest.
The importance of having an economically-viable Kabwe cannot be overemphasised, what with its centrality to the nation.
It is not a secret that the closing of the company had affected many families in the town and surrounding areas.
It had left anguish among the residents who viewed Mulungushi Textiles with sentimental nostalgia because of its role in the economic wellbeing of the town.
Many people lost their jobs and were suddenly turned into destitute as they watched what they considered their company wasting away for almost 10 years now.
Therefore, the reopening of Mulungushi Textiles has brought new hope to the people as it will support the economic activities in the town, the entire Central Province as well as the nation.
With about 220 people already employed so far to undertake general works and assessment of the service machinery, the project is irreversible.
More people are, therefore, expected to get employed when the firm is fully operational and one can only say that would be sooner than later.
The reopening of the MTZ will complement the Government’s efforts in creating jobs for the local people as once fully operational this year, a total of 598 jobs are expected to be created, what with the solar power project which is also on the cards.
Apart from creating direct job opportunities for the local people, the revival of the company, which is now under the IDC, will ready market for the players in the cotton subsector.
Cotton farmers who have for some time now been grappling with finding markets will be served with a ready market, thereby boosting the entire cotton industry and promote economic and technical cooperation.
It is also hoped that through the reopening of Mulungushi Textiles, other related industries within Kabwe will positively be affected and be revamped for the betterment of the local economy.
This could squarely fit into the Government’s concepts like the industrial clusters as well as industrial parks.
With the boosting of the purchasing power for the local people, the commercial and service sector is also expected to greatly benefit from this one gesture by Government to reopen the garment producing company.
The boosted buying power will make much sense to the idea of the planned first shopping mall for the town while the existing outlets like Shoprite are expected to greatly benefit from that.
Definitely with Mulungushi back on track, Kabwe District will never be the same again. OPINION