BULAWAYO – The company leading the revival of the Cold Storage Commission (CSC) has been sued for failing to settle a bill for protective clothing supplied by a Bulawayo company.
Paramount Garment Works has taken Boustead Beef to court demanding the settlement of a Z$317,345 bill outstanding since January.
In an August 18 court filing at the Bulawayo Magistrates Court, Paramount says Boustead Beef through their representative Sibusiso Sibanda ordered protective clothing which was “delivered to the defendants at their special instance and request, which despite demand defendants have refused to pay.”
Boustead Beef had been given until Monday this week to respond to the claim.
CSC, located in Bulawayo’s Belmont industrial area, re-opened last week as CSC-Boustead Beef Zimbabwe. Boustead Beef is owned by investors from the United Kingdom who signed a US$400 million agreement with the government to take over CSC’s assets and manage the meat processor’s operations for 25 years.
For years, the capacity of the UK investors to run a viable company has been questioned. Vice President Constantino Chiwenga witnessed CSC’s re-opening on August 22.
Boustead Beef claims it is slaughtering 60 cattle per day, but has a target of reaching 2,000 per day once it concludes export agreements and the canning plant is refurbished.
