Story by Tobias Mudzingwa
A devastating fire swept through part of the Glen View Area 8 complex in Harare on Saturday night, leaving traders counting losses running into thousands of United States dollars and raising fresh concerns over the safety of one of the capital’s busiest informal trading hubs.
The blaze broke out around midnight and rapidly spread through sections of the complex, destroying goods, tools of trade, and both finished and semi-finished products. Traders were left this morning assessing the scale of destruction as investigations into the cause of the fire continue.
A visibly shaken resident, Gogo Mutizwa, whose home is located just metres from the affected area, said the inferno nearly claimed lives.
“We nearly died last night because of this fire. It was an uncontrollable inferno that nearly burnt our houses down, too. Luckily, the wind blew in our favour, otherwise it could have been a total disaster,” she said.
Traders and residents say the fire moved swiftly through the complex, leaving little time to salvage property, with some pointing to operational challenges within the trading environment.
“We are not organised, that is the challenge. If our things were in order, we would have managed to get the source of the fire and could have dealt with it before it became difficult to contain,” a trader said.
“We tried to salvage what we could, but we were locked outside, and the security personnel were drunk and nowhere to be found. If they were doing their job well, I am sure we could have managed to get more stuff to safety. It is shooting ourselves in the foot,” another trader said.
“It is sad that we are going back to square one. This perennial challenge means our livelihood is threatened. We need a permanent solution to this problem,” a carpenter said.
The Complex has suffered many fire incidents over the years.
The Department of Civil Protection says plans are already in motion to have the area constructed into a safer workspace.
“Cabinet approved that this place needs a revamp, and that is what we want to implement. We want to temporarily move these traders to other places for six or so months so that we can fix this place,” Department of Civil Protection Chief Director Mr Nathan Nkomo said.
Government encouraged the traders to ensure safety against such disasters.
“There seems to be discord in terms of how this place must be run. I hope that once that is sorted, there can be stronger measures to prevent such huge losses due to fires. Responsible leadership is needed as a matter of urgency,” Minister of State for Harare Provincial Affairs and Devolution- Senator Charles Tawengwa said.
Traders remain in distress as they begin the process of quantifying losses and rebuilding their businesses.
