SYDNEY MUBAIWA
MIDLANDS BUREAU

GWERU – City of Gweru has engaged another unnamed investor to resuscitate Go Beer brewery, Mayor Martin Chivhoko has said.
He told The Mirror in an interview that negotiations are underway with the investor who will be availed once they have reached an agreement.
“Plans are underway to resuscitate Go Beer Brewery. We are currently negotiating with investors and the brewery will be functional once we complete the necessary paperwork. We expect to have the plant operational this year, “he said.
The brewery shut down in 2014 as it reeled from a US$2.6 million debt. Council has since tried to resuscitate the brewery.
Since then, council has fruitlessly attempted to resuscitate the brewery. In 2019, the local authority unbundled the Go Beer into three strategic business units, Go Beer Farming (Pvt) Limited, Progress Properties (Pvt) Limited and Progress Manufacturing (Pvt) Limited. The three units failed to function.
In 2020, then Mayor Josiah Makombe told the Media that an unnamed opaque beer manufacturer had partnered the local authority for the project and nothing materialized.
Last year council under then Zanu PF mayor Hamutendi Kombayi stakeholders that an investor was going to revamp the brewery. He later told them that council would be taking over the project.
Gweru City is carrying out several other income generating projects at its farm as maize and sunflower farming.
“So far, 100 hectares of the land is under crop. We planted 50 hectares of maize and the other 50 hectares is under sunflower. At the farm, we are going it alone but we are looking for partners to resuscitate our beer brewing plant,” he said.