Vostertech Consultancy

Running a business comes with many responsibilities, but compliance doesn’t have to be one of your worries.

At Vostertech Consultancy, we help businesses meet statutory and regulatory requirements, avoid costly penalties, and build a strong foundation for sustainable growth.

Our compliance services include:
• Company Compliance
• Tax Compliance
• Payroll Compliance
• Labour Compliance
• Financial Compliance
• Compliance Checks & Advisory

Let us handle your compliance while you focus on growing your business.

📍 4th Floor, Three Anchor House, 54 Jason Moyo Avenue, Harare
📞 +263 77 507 4819
📧 [email protected]
🌐 www.vostertech.co.zw

👔 Happy Father’s Day 👔

A father is more than a provider.

He is a teacher, a protector, a mentor, and a source of strength for his family.

Today, we celebrate the fathers and father figures whose sacrifices, guidance, and unwavering dedication help build strong families, strong businesses, and strong communities.

Thank you for all that you do.

Happy Father’s Day from Vostertech Consultancy.

📞 +263 77 507 4819
🌐 www.vostertech.co.zw

What Really Happens When a Company Director Dies?

Many Zimbabwean business owners believe that when a director dies, the company automatically dies with them.

That is one of the most common misconceptions in business.

The reality is that under Zimbabwe’s Companies and Other Business Entities Act (COBE Act), a company is a separate legal person from its owners and directors. This means that the death of a director does not automatically bring the company to an end.

The company continues to exist.

However, while the company survives, the death of a director can create significant legal, operational, and succession challenges—especially in small and family-owned businesses where one individual controls most of the company’s affairs.

First, what happens to the directorship?

A director cannot continue holding office after death. The position effectively becomes vacant and the company must continue with its remaining directors or appoint new directors in accordance with the company’s governing documents and the provisions of the Act.

Where there are other directors, the business can usually continue operating with minimal disruption.

The challenge often arises where the deceased was:

• The sole director
• The sole shareholder
• The sole bank signatory
• The person responsible for all company records and decision-making

In many small businesses, these roles are concentrated in one individual. When that person dies, the business may suddenly find itself unable to make decisions, access accounts, sign contracts, or deal with compliance matters.

What happens to the shares?

This is where many people become confused.

A director’s position and a shareholder’s ownership are not the same thing.

If the deceased was also a shareholder, the shares do not disappear and they do not automatically transfer to family members.

The COBE Act recognizes what is known as a “transmittee”—a person who becomes entitled to shares because of the death of a shareholder.

This means the shares become part of the deceased estate and are administered through the estate administration process.

An Executor appointed through the Master of the High Court will ultimately facilitate the transfer of those shares to the rightful beneficiaries.

Until that process is completed, ownership issues can become complicated, especially where there is no Will or where family members disagree on succession.

What if the company is left with no directors?

The Act anticipated this situation.

The Model Articles provide that where, as a result of death, a company is left without directors and members, the personal representatives of the deceased member have the right to appoint a director to ensure that the company can continue functioning.

This provision is important because it prevents a company from becoming permanently paralysed simply because its sole director and shareholder has passed away.

Why does this matter to business owners?

Every year, businesses across Zimbabwe face serious challenges after the death of a founder because succession planning was never discussed.

Common problems include:

❌ Bank accounts becoming inaccessible

❌ Family disputes over ownership

❌ Failure to file annual returns

❌ Loss of important company records

❌ Tax compliance issues

❌ Contracts that cannot be signed

❌ Employees not knowing who has authority to make decisions

❌ Valuable business opportunities being lost during the transition period

In some cases, businesses that took years to build collapse within months because no one was legally empowered to take over operations.

The lesson for every business owner

The COBE Act provides mechanisms to deal with the death of directors and shareholders, but relying on those mechanisms alone is not enough.

Every business owner should ask:

✔ If I died today, who would access company records?

✔ Who would continue running the business?

✔ Are there other active directors?

✔ Are shareholding records up to date?

✔ Is there a valid Will?

✔ Would my family know what to do next?

Good corporate governance is not just about compliance.

It is about protecting the business, employees, customers, suppliers, and the family members who depend on the company for their livelihood.

A business should be able to outlive its founder.

That is the true test of a sustainable enterprise.

Need help reviewing your company structure, shareholding records, annual returns, or corporate governance arrangements?

📞 +263 77 507 4819
📧 [email protected]
🌐 www.vostertech.co.zw

Vostertech Consultancy – Helping Zimbabwean businesses stay compliant, protected, and built for the future.

TAX RECOVERY: How VAT Input Tax Claims Really Work in Zimbabwe

Many businesses are not losing money because they are not selling.

They are losing money because they are not recovering what they are legally allowed to claim.

In Zimbabwe, VAT-registered operators may claim input tax on qualifying business purchases, but only when the claim is supported by proper documentation. ZIMRA requires a valid Fiscal Tax Invoice for input tax claims, and since 1 January 2022, this invoice must be generated from a fiscal device.

This means a normal receipt, quotation, proforma invoice, or poorly prepared invoice may not be enough.

What is VAT input tax?

VAT input tax is the VAT your business pays when buying goods or services used to make taxable supplies. When properly supported, this amount can reduce the VAT you pay to ZIMRA.

Examples may include business purchases such as stock, equipment, professional services, rentals, utilities, fuel, stationery, and other operating costs, provided they are genuinely for business use.

What makes a claim valid?

Before claiming VAT, check that you have:

- A valid Fiscal Tax Invoice
- Supplier name, address, and VAT registration details
- Your business name and VAT details where required
- Invoice number and date
- Clear description of goods or services
- VAT amount charged
- Proper records supporting the transaction

ZIMRA also states that input tax claims should be made within 12 months from the invoice date, and the operator must hold supporting documents such as fiscal tax invoices, bills of entry, credit notes, or debit notes.

Where businesses lose money

Many businesses buy from suppliers, pay VAT, then fail to claim it because:

- invoices are missing
- invoices are not fiscalised
- expenses are mixed with personal costs
- records are not filed properly
- VAT returns are prepared late
- purchases are not reconciled monthly

The painful part is this: once records are disorganised, tax recovery becomes difficult even when the business genuinely paid VAT.

The smart approach

VAT recovery is not about “avoiding tax.”
It is about paying the correct tax.

A compliant business should not overpay simply because its paperwork is weak. Proper VAT management improves cash flow, reduces tax leakage, and prepares your business for ZIMRA reviews.

At Vostertech Consultancy, we help businesses review their VAT records, identify recoverable input tax, clean up documentation, and strengthen compliance systems.

📍 Three Anchor House, 54 Jason Moyo Avenue, Harare
📞 +263 778 030 376
📧 [email protected]

Recover what is legally yours. Stay compliant. Protect your cash flow.

Most business owners think tax is about how much money they make.

It’s not.

ZIMRA does not tax your hustle…
They tax your records.

If your records are:
❌ Incomplete
❌ Disorganised
❌ Missing

ZIMRA will estimate your income.

And estimated income always leads to higher tax.

This is why many businesses feel “over-taxed” —
but the real issue is poor record keeping.

📊 Good records = Controlled tax
⚠️ No records = ZIMRA decides for you

Don’t wait for penalties to teach you this.

We help businesses:
✔️ Organise financial records
✔️ Prepare accurate tax returns
✔️ Stay compliant

📞 +263 77 507 4819

A new month won’t change your business…
But your decisions this month will.

April is your chance to fix what you’ve been postponing:
– Compliance
– Tax issues
– Business structure

Don’t carry March problems into April profits.

Let’s work.

📞 077 507 4819

This is your final warning.

The deadline is 20 April 2026.

After that, companies that are not re-registered will be removed from the system.

No extensions confirmed.
No second chances.

The time for waiting is over.

If your business matters to you, take action now.

We are currently assisting companies with re-registration.

📩 Send your company name and secure your process today.
📞 077 507 4819