Delta sets up new plant in Rusape

Lovemore Kadzura

Rusape Correspondent

WORK on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange listed beverages giant, Delta’s multi-million dollar Chibuku Super Plant in Rusape has commenced.

Delta secured a 10-hectare piece of land at the Tsanzaguru Industrial Park to set up its fifth Chibuku Super Plant in the country.

It already operates similar plants in Chitungwiza, Kwekwe, Bulawayo and Masvingo.

Upon completion, the new plant will employ hundreds of workers and also benefit downstream industries.

Delta already has presence in Rusape where it manufactures its opaque beer, supplying Manicaland and parts of Mashonaland East.

The company’s secretary, Mr Alex Makamure, said progress is being hindered by the Covid-19 worldwide lockdowns as well as foreign currency availability.

“We are currently undertaking preliminary civil works at the new site at Tsanzaguru in Rusape. The Rusape Brewery project will commence in earnest when the foreign currency situation improves. We are focusing on clearing our legacy foreign currency obligations.

“There are also constraints arising from the Covid-19 pandemic disruptions. We need to import the brewery’s equipment from Europe and South Africa. We will advise the market of the developments at the relevant time,” said Mr Makamure.

The plant is located a few kilometers from the town’s Jack Needham Waterworks which will guarantee uninterrupted water supply – a key ingredient in beer brewing.

Entrepreneur, Mr Prosper Mudoweti, said the setting up of the plant is a step in the right direction for a town that has vast potential, but has remained a sleeping giant for too long.

“This is the type of investment that this town is yearning for because it has the capacity to change the economic fortunes of the town. A number of downstream industries will benefit. For a town to grow, it needs a mixture of both large scale businesses and upcoming ones,” said Mr Mudoweti.