Brian Rungano Temba
President Emmerson Mnangagwa will today commission the Verify Engineering Oxygen and Nitrogen Plant today at Feruka in Mutare.
The multi-million dollar medical oxygen and industrial gases production project was originally scheduled to be commissioned last week, but was postponed due to bad weather.
Permanent Secretary for Information Publicity and Broadcasting Services Mr Nick Mangwana today said the launch will proceed.
“So the weather made it impossible for HE to commission the VERIFY ENGINEERING OXYGEN AND NITROGEN PLANT at Feruka in Mutare. But even the weather can’t stop the Second Republic, it’s happening. His Excellency is commissioning this weapon in our fight against Covid-19, today,” said Mr Mangwana.
This will be Zimbabwe’s first Oxygen plant, a major milestone that the nation has reached under the Second Republic.
The initiative is expected to meet the demand for hospital oxygen in intensive care units especially by critically ill COVID-19 patients.
Verify Engieering is wholly State-owned and operates under Harare Institute of Technology (HIT) bringing to life the tenets of Heritage Based Education Curriculum 5.0.
The project was started in 2005 but was stalled by lack of resources.
It was however under the Seond Republic’s administration and along the guidelines of the President’s Vision 2030 that adequate funding and resources have been channeled to this project.
In an interview with the Herald, Verify Engineering board chairman Air Commodore Dr. Edgar Kamusoko said they had acquired 5 000 oxygen cylinders for equiping the hospitals with the much needed oxygen.
Another additional 5 000 cylinders are on their way.
“The project is wholly funded by Government and manned by Zmbabwean technicians and engineers.
His Excellency President Mnangagwa is very supportive of this project iin terms of making sure it is properly funded,” said Dr Kamusoko.
Besides the immediate demand for oxygen in the fight against COVID-19, the plant will satisfy the need for oxygen in Oxy-acetylene welding which is used in place of arch welding in places where electricity is not available.
This counts as a win for the Infrastructural development drive that the Second Republic has been on as most of the developments in road and Dam Construction include metalwork in places that are not on the national grid.
Verify Engineering is also working on other projects that include the establishment of a coal to fertiliser and coal to fuel plant in Liisulu in Hwange.
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