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Ingwebu yet to resume mahewu production

Business
INGWEBU Breweries management is not certain when the production of its non-alcoholic sorghum mahewu, which was suspended recently, will resume.

INGWEBU Breweries management is not certain when the production of its non-alcoholic sorghum mahewu, which was suspended recently, will resume.

BY MTHANDAZO NYONI

Ingwebu, run by the Bulawayo Municipal Commercial Undertaking, suspended production of its non-alcoholic sorghum mahewu after the plant developed some technical problems, general manager, Prince Ndlovu said.

“Production of mahewu stopped because the equipment had to be attended to by the suppliers,” he said.

“It will resume as soon as the equipment is done.

“We are not able to estimate the time, as the suppliers have not been able to indicate the timeline.”

The company started producing mahewu in February 2015 after investing more than $500 000 as a way of raising fresh income after its main source, the sorghum beer, took a battering from poor distribution and competition from other brands.

Ndlovu declined to comment on the matter of Ingwebu privatisation, saying it fell under the city council’s purview.

“The matter of privatisation is the purview of the city council of Bulawayo,” he said.

“We are not able to shed light on your question.

“Please refer to the town clerk for responses on that matter.”

Early this year, Bulawayo City Council said it had started consulting stakeholders on its proposed plan to privatise Ingwebu Breweries, amid concerns that the plant’s machinery had become obsolete and requires massive capital injection to bring it back to viability.

In 2014, Bulawayo mayor Martin Moyo revealed that the council needed $4 million to refurbish Ingwebu machinery and increase distribution vehicles.

The company has been in operation for 100 years.