The Sunday Mail
Tendai Chara
Exactly four months after the Mbudzi Peoples’ Market opened its doors to the public, the presence of illegal roadside vendors is threatening the viability of this public-private partnership (PPP) project.
Located at the Mbudzi round-about on the Harare-Masvingo highway, the project is an arrangement between a local company, Augur Investments, and the City of Harare.
A recent tour of the facility revealed that although business initially started at a snail’s pace, with some of the occupants’ not even realising any sales, the future of the project looks bright.
Both the project managers and the occupants are pinning their hopes on the tobacco selling season which commences at the end of this month.
Roadside vendors are threatening the viability of this newly established Mbudzi Peples’ Market
The occupants attributed their current woes to a number of factors, among them being the presence of illegal roadside vendors, the current liquidity crunch and supposed inadequate marketing of the place.
Miss Violet Kwenda, one of the vendors occupying space in the flea market section, is optimistic that sales will increase.
“The first two months were bleak. During the first week, I didn’t sell even a single item. I nearly packed my bags. I was coming from Kadoma where I was realising between $45 and $50 every day,” Ms Kwenda said.
But her hopes are high now.
“My business instincts tell me that there is a great business opportunity here. The start of the tobacco-selling season will definitely change our fortunes for the better. Once a few things are ironed out, we are going to make a killing,” Miss Kwenda said.
According to Miss Kwenda, the Mbudzi People’s Market is not adequately marketed.
“Most of the locals are not aware of our presence and are still going to Mbare. The owners of this mall must aggressively market this place so that it becomes visible to the customers. The City of Harare must also evict the roadside vendors since they are also contributing to our woes,” Miss Kwenda said.
Another flea market vendor, Mr Hillary Katsukunye, who is realising between $15 and $20 every day, also blamed the slow business uptake to the roadside vendors, the absence of an aggressive marketing strategy and the liquidity crunch.
His target is to sell goods worth more than $50 on a daily basis.
According to the vendors, they pay rentals of $45 per month per stand.
Although the majority of the cubicles in the hairdressing section of the mall are occupied, the hairdressers are also not happy with their returns.
“We are not realising much. When I came here, my projections were that I must get at least $200 every day. I cannot tell you how much I am getting, the amount is embarrassingly low. If only those roadside hairdressers are removed,” bemoaned Brenda Mutizwa, a hairdresser.
Mutizwa said the market is not well-advertised and is “lifeless”.
“Look at the Long Cheng Plaza. There are neon lights everywhere. This place is as dull as a mortuary,” added Mutizwa.
Lilian Mungeyi, who is an agent for a local bank, echoed the same sentiments.
“Local residents still go to town since they are not aware of the services offered here. We are currently running at a loss. The potential is there but what is lacking is an effective marketing strategy,” Mrs Mungeyi said.
Mr Mike Van Black, the managing director of West Property Zim, the owners of the facility, is happy with the mall’s occupancy rate. He advised tenants to adequately stock their businesses.
“The occupancy rate can be a bit higher. We have so far signed leases for 80 percent of the tenants and 60 percent of the tenants have occupied their space so far. The rate is a bit slow but in my view, most tenants are not adequately stocked, otherwise if they are well-stocked, the customers will come,” Mr Van Black said.
He concurred that the presence of illegal roadside vendors is the major drawback.
But despite the slow start, Mr Van Black, just like the vendors, remain optimistic.
“This is a new venture, which is also new to the community. I am certain that with the passage of time, the market is going to become very popular,” Mr Van Black added.
Mbudzi vending mall is different from other places in many aspects. A supermarket occupies 1 200 square metres of space.
The mall has a massive 6 000 square metres of shopping space and a bank, a fast food outlet and other businesses. lt boasts of 10 massive blocks.
According to Mr Van Black, a stock feed and agriculture division will soon be introduced at the market.
Hair dressers, butcheries and a pharmacy are among the businesses that have already occupied space.
As the Mbudzi People’s Market vendors are going about their business in an orderly manner, chaos characterises the operations of the illegal roadside vendors.
Over the years, the Mbudzi round-about has become a road traffic menace and a health hazard.
Long-distance buses are often parked right in the middle of the road while vendors illegally sell their wares.
And as the Mbudzi People’s Market vendors are struggling to make ends meet, the roadside vendors are reporting a boom in business.
“My customers are those that are in transit. I do not pay any rentals and business is not bad,” boasted an illegal roadside vendor who refused to be named.
Mr Michael Chideme, the Harare City Council spokesman, is on record saying that those that have illegally set up their businesses at the Mbudzi round-about will be evicted.
The Zimbabwe Vendors Union estimates that close to one million people in Harare survive directly from vending.
