MARTIN MAWAYA
GWERU-The Gweru City Council is losing thousands of dollars in potential revenue at the Kudzanayi Market, which operates under a public-private partnership with Bentach Resources.
According to the minutes of the 709th ordinary council meeting held recently, out of the 672 bays at the market, only 429 are occupied, leaving 243 bays vacant.
This reflects a 63.84% occupancy rate, with the remaining 36.16% of the bays unoccupied, resulting in an estimated revenue loss of more than US$15,992 per month.
The clothing and footwear section, as well as the fruit and vegetable section, have the highest number of vacant bays.
In the clothing and footwear section, 218 bays are occupied, while 106 are vacant out of a total of 324 bays.
In the fruit and vegetable section, 94 bays are occupied, and 92 are vacant from a total of 186 bays.
Council spokesperson, Vimbai Chingwaramusee, confirmed that the local authority only receives dividends from the occupied bays, meaning they are missing out a significant revenue from the vacant bays.
“Yes, we only get dividends from the occupied bays. The revenue collected is not the same as the revenue accrued, and that’s how we get the dividend,” Chingwaramusee said.
She encouraged traders to operate at the designated market rather than on the streets to maximize the city’s revenue potential.
Bentach Resources CEO Taurai Changwa claimed that “occupancy is and has always been above the 90% threshold,” contradicting the statistics obtained from the council.
Changwa bemoaned the lack of enforcement to remove the hundreds of vendors operating illegally within a 20-meter radius of the market.
Investigations by The Midweek Watch further revealed that traders are abandoning the bays due to high prices, leading them to operate in undesignated areas.
The Zimbabwe Chamber of Informal Economy Associations (ZCIEA) chairperson, Shepherd Museve, criticized the high charges at the Kudzanayi bus terminus as a reason for vendors leaving the oldest market in Gweru.
“The vending bays are too expensive, and the time frame for balancing their accounts is very short. Also, the Kudzanayi market is no longer operational full-time like before; our people used to dismiss very late, but now there’s a timetable,” said Museve, adding that business is very low due to economic volatility.
He called for the inclusion of all stakeholders to ensure the market serves its purpose of supporting vulnerable communities.
Gweru Residents and Ratepayers Association (GRRA) executive director, Cornilia Selipiwe, has called on the local authority to revisit its agreement with Bentach Resources, emphasizing “the need to devise a plan to ensure that the bays are occupied and to enhance revenue generation”.
Inside sources at the Midlands provincial capital, told The Midweek Watch that councillors wanted action to be taken to reduce the monthly bay fees, emphasizing that the vending markets are intended for poverty alleviation.
