Traders at Mbare Musika, Harare's largest and most iconic marketplace, are facing an uncertain future after a fire recently gutted the market, destroying goods worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and wiping out their livelihoods.
The blaze has sparked concerns that the government's plans to build modern stalls at the site could lead to more than 4,000 eligible traders losing their spots to opportunistic chancers and space barons.
On Thursday, a government delegation led by Local Government Minister Daniel Garwe and Small to Medium Enterprise (SME) Minister Monica Mutsvangwa visited the site to address the traders.
Through Ward 3 Councillor Simbarashe Chanachimwe traders appealed to the government to allow them to continue trading while the new market infrastructure is being constructed, fearing a prolonged shutdown could leave them without any income for months.
The Government delegation assured the crowd that none of the 5,000 vendors would lose their stalls once reconstruction was complete.
"We are committed to ensuring that the traders who were operating here will return. The fire was a tragedy, but we will rebuild Mbare Musika, and the 5,000 traders will be retained in the market. No one will lose their space to space barons," said Minister Garwe
Women's Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said the visit was to access the situation and listen to the traders' grievances following the disaster.
"They need access to capital like soft loans to kickstart their businesses, they also need to food to feed their families because livelihoods were affected," said Mutsvangwa
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However, despite assurances from the Government, traders who spoke to this publication said they were scared of opportunits.
"We are scared that once the modern stalls are built, some of us will be left out. We've heard these promises before. Space barons always find a way to grab the new spaces, and those of us who have been here for years might be kicked out," said Maureen Masekesa, a vendor who has sold vegetables at Mbare Musika for over 15 years.
Many worry that promises on paper do not always translate to action on the ground.
"We have heard the ministers' words, but we will wait and see. We just want transparency in the allocation process, and we want to be able to continue trading while they rebuild. We cannot survive without income for months on end," said a trader who identified himself as Samaita
The government officials revealed that plans for the reconstruction of the popular market are in progress.
Many are also calling for stricter controls to prevent politically connected individuals from monopolizing the new market spaces.
"All we ask is for fairness, we have built our lives here, and we just want the chance to keep going without being pushed out," added Masekesa
The fire, which tore through Mbare Musika, has left one of Harare's oldest economic hubs in ruins, threatening the livelihoods of the more than four thousands traders.
