CSC Boustead Beef Bulawayo shut down

CSC-Boustead Beef, which only at the beginning of this month said it would be resuming beef exports this quarter, has been shut down after its electricity was cut off for non-payment.

The company’s management could not be reached for comment but sources said power was cut off on Monday paralysing the limited operations that were being carried out at the abattoir once one of the biggest in the region.

Despite the numerous promises that Bosutead Beef has made, the company has only been carrying service slaughters which workers said were not the company’s core business.

Boustead Beef entered into an agreement to revive the CSC with the government in 2019with the government in 2019 but has up to now failed to do so.

The government placed the CSC under corporate rescue in December 2020 but the first rescue practitioner Ngoni Kudenga never got down to do his job and was disqualified because of his close links to Lands and Agriculture Minister Anxious Masuka.

Vonani Majoko who was appointed in his place also failed to take full control of the company and was removed in July last year.

Boustead Beef announced that it was resuming operations and invited Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga to officially re-open the Bulawayo plant in August last year.

The company never resumed full operations as it was not able to rehabiliate the cold chain.

Instead it started service slaughters.

A United States asset management company announced in November that it had entered into a long term financial arrangment with Boustead Beef but the company remains in trouble.

Sources said power at the company was cut off because it owes the Zimbabwe Electrcity Supply Authority more than $20 million.

Failure by the government to to kick out Boustead Beef has raised speculation that some senior government officials might be in on the deal.

Others, however, say that the government is treading softly to avoid penalities should it terminate its agreement with Boustead Beef.

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