adminDumisani Sibanda Sunday News Correspondent
A NUMBER of properties belonging to the Cold Storage Company (CSC) including the parastatal’s headquarters at Belmont Industrial Area in Bulawayo and Winterblock Farm in Umguza have been attached for sale following litigation by the company’s workers who are owed about $500 000 in unpaid salaries. The move has prompted an outcry by the Affirmative Action Group (AAG) which is now appealing to Government to intervene and stop the auctioning of properties and negotiate the payment of the salaries.
According to court papers, apart from Winterblock Farm and the CSC headquarters other properties which have been attached include House number 105 Matopos Road, 20 Mary Burrows Road in Ilanda, Subdivion A of Lots 264, 273, 278, 279, 290, 293, 300, 301, 302, 303, 311, 312, 313, 318 and 319 Napier Road of Hillside, all in Bulawayo and Stand Number 220 Beitbridge.
The order arose from the arbitration award to the workers by the arbitrator a Mr P Chirongama on 27 May 2014.
In the case of Joseph Mafusire and Others vs Cold Storage Company (Pvt) Limited , it was ordered that the immovable property be attached to realise the sum of $453 110, 00 as “attached items were sold but they failed to liquidate the debt”.
“Defendant no longer have movable property that can be attached (NULLA BONA),” states the court documents.
In a recent interview, the Affirmative Action Group president for Matabeleland, Mr Reginald Shoko said Government should act to stop the auctioning of CSC properties. He said workers have been allowed to pursue litigation against their employer to recover their salary arrears resulting in the parastatal’s cattle, buildings and a farm being attached for auctioning.
This at a time, when the Government has pledged to revive CSC which was an integral part of the Matabeleland Region cattle sub-economy. A document on the parastatal’s turnaround was tabled before Cabinet last year in a bid to turn the company into its former self — an exporter.
“It is a surprise when the Government wakes up and says CSC must be an exporter company when in actual fact the authorities have watched CSC being taken down by workers through litigation. They talk about the national herd policy. Why do you talk about the national herd policy when we have watched a parastatal lose all of its herd through litigation procedures because workers sold all the cows that were there at CSC? You have the infrastructure and assets being sold through litigation by workers and the Government has been watching and we need to understand these are national assets that we need to protect.”
He said the Agricultural Ministry should plead with President Mugabe to invoke presidential powers to stop the sale of national assets and then negotiate on payment of the workers who have been suing CSC. The AAG regional president said the assets of the debt-ridden CSC have to be saved as the company has a potential to be revived. He added that the company should explore ways to use its infrastructure — which is lying idle — productively.
“CSC has the biggest slaughter facility,” he said. “So it can concentrate on slaughtering for the Sadc region. There is a blessing in disguise of foot and mouth when it comes to the region because half of Botswana —- which still has a big herd is a red zone for foot and mouth. This automatically means they cannot slaughter cattle and move beef to the other side. Why does CSC not partner with the Botswana Meat Commission?”.
Efforts to get a comment from the Deputy Minister responsible for livestock Cde Paddy Zhanda were fruitless.
Online Reporter