INGWEBU Breweries has been granted essential service status
and will operate with skeletal staff during the lockdown period to ensure
workers are not exposed to the deadly Covid-19, the company’s managing director
has said.
President Mnangagwa declared the 21-day national lockdown
over a fortnight ago. He ordered businesses that provide non-essential services
to close but said those providing essentials remain open.
Since the start of the lockdown Ingwebu Breweries has been
closed. The company manufactures opaque beer and maheu. In a telephone
interview yesterday, Ingwebu managing director Mr Dumisani Mhlanga said they
resumed operations on Sunday.
“Two days before the lockdown we immediately stopped
production and we resumed yesterday after consulting with authorities who
granted us permission to be regarded as an essential service,” he said.
“As a company we have 532 employees and in light of the
pandemic we will operate with a skeletal staff of 112 employees.”
Mr Mhlanga said the remaining staff members would continue
to be placed under paid leave until the lockdown ends.
“As we will be operating using skeletal staff, other
employees will be placed on paid leave as we follow Government’s directive that
there will be no salary cuts during the lockdown.
“We will be operating on a 30 percent production basis
meaning that we can only supply to wholesale and modern trade,” said Mr
Mhlanga.
In view of Government’s directive allowing businesses to
accept foreign currency for domestic transactions, Ingwebu said it was
embracing the move and would sell its products in forex.
The move comes after Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ)
Governor, Dr John Mangudya, announced that individuals and businesses can now
trade freely in forex. He also fixed the exchange rate at US$1:ZW$25 during the
lockdown period.
“We definitely are going to also offer the facility of
selling in forex as we need the foreign currency to buy equipment and our
inputs.
“We will sell based on the interbank exchange rate as set
by the central bank,” said Mr Mhlanga.
Ingwebu Breweries was established in 1946 as a department
of Bulawayo City Council and in 1996, council established a wholly-owned
business entity under which the company falls. Chronicle
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