afrol News, 6 January - Nestle has reopened its factory in Zimbabwe following a month long closure after receiving assurances from the government that it will not interfere with its operations.

The company shut down its operations in the Southern African state early December alleging harassment by authorities for refusing the milk supplies from a farm owned by President Robert Mugabe's family.

Nestle stopped taking milk from the farm in October after international criticism, discouraging it from accepting supplies from the farm that was seized from white farmers and given to Zimbabwe’s first lady, Grace Mugabe under controversial land-reform laws.

Nestle Equatorial African Region's corporate communications department representative Brinda Chiniah said the company has been given written assurances by the Minister of Industry and Commerce of Zimbabwe to guarantee the security of Nestle management and staff and not to interfere in the company's operating processes.

"The company reiterates its commitment to source milk exclusively from its contracted farmers," Ms Chiniah's statement added.

Minister of industry and commerce, Welshman Ncube has confirmed that he held meetings with Nestle management, further stamping the government’s commitment to address the concerns of the company.

Nestle has been in Zimbabwe for 50 years and employs more than 200 people in the southern African nation.

President Mugabe's seizure of white-owned commercial farms to resettle landless black Zimbabweans has been widely attributed to the collapse of the country’s economy.

President Mugabe who has been in power since independence from Great Britain in 1980, has however the denied the charges blaming the economic crisis on sanctions imposed by western nations.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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