TENDAI BHEBE IN BULAWAYO
A major water leak has been detected at CSC Boustead Beef Zimbabwe Bulawayo plant, which has slowed operations at the meat processor, a senior official has said.
CSC Boustead Beef Zimbabwe consultant, Reginald Shoko, told Business Times the water was under the concrete.
“We have been dealing with it and our engineers are busy with it with the help of the Bulawayo City Council engineers to find a long term solution around the water leaks,” Shoko said.
He dismissed reports that it has closed again saying water leak challenges have slowed down its operations.
“We have not closed and I don’t think we will close the CSC soon because it is not in our plans to do so,” Shoko said.
Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga on Thursday last week re-commissioned the CSC Boustead Beef Zimbabwe in Bulawayo that has not been fully operational for the past 22 years.
In his address, Chiwenga said the reopening of the company was an indicator of the private sector’s resolve to stimulate growth of the livestock sub-sector by providing a steady market for slaughter stock for livestock farmers.
“It is worth to note that over 90% of livestock is owned by small holder farmers who provide 85% of the slaughter stock. Hence, the importance of CSC Boustead Zimbabwe in the marketing of livestock cannot be over emphasis,” Chiwenga said.
He said the plant would provide a competitive market for smallholder livestock farmers who have suffered large losses through middlemen and other unscrupulous buyers.
“The goal of the government is to develop the livestock sub- sector as a whole,” Chiwenga said.
He said CSC intends to grow the cattle slaughter to about 1 500 cattle a day at full operational capacity.
“With the majority of the animals coming from the small livestock farmers, who contribute about 90 % of the slaughter stock,” Chiwenga said.
Anxious Masuka, Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Development, who also spoke at the same event said the revival of CSC, which has been idle for 22 years is a firm indication that the economy is on a recovery path.
“We are happy that Vice President Chiwenga shot the first beast in the resuscitation of CSC,” Masuka said.
Boustead Beef Zimbabwe’s main mandate is to revive the strategic company’s operations across the country by refurbishing industrial assets such as ranches, feedlots and residential properties.
In 2019,the government signed a US$400m joint venture agreement with Boustead Beef Zimbabwe, a United Kingdom-based investor.
