Chronicle Editor
Nqobile Bhebhe, Senior Business Reporter
BULAWAYO’S leather cluster is on the verge of reviving a 1 000-school shoe order book from Namibia’s private sector as its members are inundated with local orders as part of positive spin-offs from their participation at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair.
Already, the cluster is eyeing to penetrate Zambia and Botswana markets.
Bulawayo Leather Cluster secretary-general, Mr Fungai Zvinondiramba yesterday told Business Chronicle that plans are afoot to revive the Namibian deal.
The deal was initially clinched in 2019 just before Covid-19 struck globally.
The order could not be processed due to prolonged shutdowns.
However, with the pandemic receding and global markets opening up, Mr Zvinondiramba said it was an opportune time to revive the order book deal.
“Before the Covid-19 pandemic began, as the Bulawayo Leather Cluster, we had a very good order from the private sector in Namibia in 2019. They wanted an initial order of 1 000 pairs of school shoes. As we were processing, Covid-19 struck. However, we will be going back to Namibia this year to revive the deal. The order is still valid. We need to make minor adjustments to it. Covid-19 is almost behind us and it’s time to work,” he said.
He said the deal was clinched due to high-quality products produced by the cluster.
“We have the capacity to produce the order book and we can do more. There is little shoe manufacturing in Namibia so the quality of our products attracted Namibians to us. Bulawayo has proper manufacturing infrastructure and we produce top-of-the-range products, hence the deal.”
At its prime in the 1990s, the sector produced up to eight million pairs of shoes, but most established manufacturing firms later folded citing different factors.
However, with Government interventions that included the launch of the Zimbabwe Leather Sector Strategy (2021-2030) to anchor increased investments and maximising on value-addition and beneficiation to promote export-led industrialisation, the sector is now on a recovery path.
Going forward, Mr Zvinondiramba said they have cast their eyes on regional markets.
“We plan to go to Ndola in Zambia for their international trade fair and also tap into the Botswana markets.”
He said soon after ZITF in April they were inundated with orders and people buying their products.
“We have serious business inquiries from people who visited our stand at ZITF. It’s a show of confidence in us as a sector. The Ministry of Women’s Affairs assisted us to exhibit at ZITF,” he said.
During her closing ZITF address to the media, Industry and Commerce Minister Dr Sekai Nzenza applauded the improved standards of leather products on display saying it was an indication that the value addition and buy local drive was fast gaining traction.
She said in the past huge quantities of raw hides used to be exported to Europe, but with the launch of the leather value strategy, leather is being processed locally feeding into the value addition matrix. Value addition and beneficiation are among the centrepieces which Government hopes foster rapid economic growth and employment creation.
The leather sector is regarded as a low-hanging fruit for the Zimbabwe economy given the country’s competitive advantages in livestock and crop production, which provide key raw materials.
Online Reporter