The City of Bulawayo has resolved to abandon its cremator which has been stuck in Durban, South Africa for many years, and buy another one.
The cremator was bought by Masen Engineering (PVT LTD) on behalf of the local authority after the company won a contract to supply, install and commission a cremator for the West Park Crematorium.
The total tender price then was US$121 400 with the local authority paying Masen US$97 120 which was 80 percent of the tendered price as advance payment.
The company later reportedly imported the cremator from Japan but failed to pay duty during the duration of the contract, which was four months.
In 2016, the South Africa Revenue Services (SARS) impounded the cremator while in transit to Zimbabwe, and efforts to get it released have failed.
According to the latest City of Bulawayo confidential report, SARS lawyers recently wrote to the local authority demanding that it pays up before October 6, 2022, or get the cremator deposited.
The report further says the cremator in question had accrued storage costs of up to R1 190 763. Part of the report reads:
Management was approached by the contractor (Masen Engineering) and he advised that it was not such a wise decision to pay that amount to SARS in order to facilitate the release of the cremator which was now obsolete.
His advice was that a new cremator could cost council close to a million Rand and the storage money could be used to buy a new cremator.
He further advised that in his opinion council should just abandon that cremator because of the costs and the fact that some of the components of the cremator which were in the container were no longer usable.
After the meeting, the local authority resolved “That council abandon the cremator to avoid paying further charges but instead a court application for the recovery of the US$97 120 deposit which was paid to Masen Engineering Pvt Ltd.”
Bulawayo City Council is encouraging its residents to consider cremation as a substitute for conventional burial in a bid to limit the fast reduction of burial space in the city.
Currently, the local authority has only one cremator situated at West Park cemetery. | CITE