Story by Owen Mandovha
GLEN View traders are set to benefit from safer and modern trading facilities as Government and the Harare City Council accelerate the construction of new market stalls at Chemhanza Grounds in Glen View 3.
The project seeks to relocate traders from the Glen View 8 Industrial Complex, where repeated fires have destroyed property worth thousands of dollars and exposed small business owners to unsafe working conditions.
Construction is progressing, with civil works and ablution facilities now at an advanced stage.
Harare City Council Acting Town Clerk, Advocate Warren Chiwawa, said the relocation project will provide traders with a safer and more conducive working environment.
“Works are in motion, and we are glad that we have finally come up with a solution to this perennial challenge of frequent fires at Glen View 8 Complex. The Chemhanza Grounds will house traders and SMEs who will be relocated here, where there will be fireproof structures and facilities to promote their operations. We are glad that Government has granted us the necessary support to carry out this project.”
Traders welcomed the initiative, saying it will protect their businesses and livelihoods.
“We welcome this development because if a fire starts, we can lose all our belongings and business,” one trader said.
“This shows that the Government is with us; hence, we are very excited by the project,” another trader said.
Another beneficiary said the project had renewed hope among traders.
“We were not hopeful that one day our plight was going to come to an end, so this is definitely a welcome development.”
Government is working with local authorities across the country to develop modern market infrastructure for small and medium enterprises, which contribute about 60 per cent of Zimbabwe’s Gross Domestic Product and provide employment for thousands of people. The initiative supports the country’s industrialisation agenda and Vision 2030.
