Cabinet seized with CSC revival

Lovemore Zigara, Midlands Correspondent
THE operationalisation of the Cold Storage Company (CSC) has been tabled in Cabinet as the country is grappling with a drought which is threatening the national herd, a senior government official has said.

CSC, which has abattoirs in Bulawayo, Masvingo, Chinhoyi, Gweru, Kadoma and Marondera, requires about $58 million to recapitalise its operations.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development, Paddy Zhanda, said the recapitalisation of CSC was before Cabinet which is expected to provide direction on the course of action to take.

He was in the Midlands yesterday on a tour of the provinces assessing the country’s preparedness in dealing with the impending drought.

“The government is preoccupied (with the operationalisation) of CSC. The President is very worried about the non-operationalisation of CSC. A situation that’s haunting us in particular is that the parastatal could’ve played a major role in mitigating against cattle deaths.

“Unfortunately, we’ve been a bit slow but I can assure you that the proposals are now before Cabinet for approval, in terms of the way forward,” said Zhanda.

He said CSC abattoirs in Bulawayo, Chinhoyi and Masvingo are not functional while those in Marondera and Kadoma are now shells, hence the need to reconstruct them.

CSC was at one time the largest meat processor in Africa, handling up to 150,000 tonnes of beef and associated by-products a year.

The parastatal exported beef to European Union markets before persistent outbreaks of foot and mouth diseases halted exports in 2001, affecting its viability.

The government is struggling to find a partner to revive the former meat processing giant as suitors are being turned off by the $22 million debt hanging over the company with workers alone being owed over $2.5 million in salary arrears.

Negotiations for a $90 million rescue package with foreign investors last year reached a stalemate because of the debt.