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Sikhumbuzo Moyo Bulawayo Bureau
BULAWAYO City Council is set to re-design and modernise flea markets in the city as part of measures to mitigate disasters such as fire outbreaks.
The plan is in response to the recurrence of fire outbreaks at flea markets. This year, two fire incidents were recorded in the city with the latest involving Mutize Flea Market which was razed down by a mysterious fire on Tuesday night leaving over 300 vendors stranded.
The flea market, popularly known as the “Little Musina” is situated along Lobengula Street between 8th Avenue Extension and Leopold Takawira.
According to the Bulawayo Fire Brigade, the fire was caused by an electric appliance that was left unattended.
The fire is said to have started just before midnight on Tuesday and was only put out early on Wednesday morning by the Bulawayo Fire Brigade, which reacted swiftly after receiving a distress call. Everything at the flea market was reduced to ashes and many vendors said they had just received delivery of new stocks when tragedy struck.
In January, Mpopoma Outspan Factory was gutted by fire leaving more than 700 people jobless while in September 2018, another fire broke out at Unity Village Flea Market and goods worth more than US$300 000 were destroyed at the 37 affected stalls.
Responding to the Mutize Flea Market inferno, Bulawayo Town Clerk Mr Christopher Dube, in a statement, said: “The City of Bulawayo advises of the following disaster and risk strategies against fires at flea markets, and these include re-designing and modernising the flea markets, educating the shop owners and market managers on fire safety and the need for firefighting equipment in their stalls.”
Mr Dube also appealed to the residents, corporates and development partners to assist in restoring the livelihoods of the affected vendors.
“The council also advises against illegal connection of electricity. Flea markets should be regularised and have a protection wall while there should be regular risk assessments and proper storage of flammable materials as well as having clear and known emergency evacuation plans.”
Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Association (BVTA) has called for the Mutize Flea Market fire incident to be declared a disaster.
The organisation said council should urgently activate all systems to assist the traders affected by the incident.
In a statement, the BVTA publicity department also implored small-scale traders to take up insurance policies that cover their goods.
“It is our prayer that in the future, small-scale traders will consider having an insurance cover for their goods. Organisations such as ours have tailored insurance packages for informal traders working in partnership with insurance service providers such as Champions Insurance. The company is offering packages whose monthly contributions are as little as US$5 for a fire policy for stock, medical aid, hospital cash back, funeral cover among others,” said BVTA.
The informal sector has become the backbone of the country’s economy as about 70 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) comes from the informal economy.
Over the past decade, Bulawayo has witnessed the emergence and growth of the informal sector following the closure or relocation of big companies to other cities and towns such as Harare due to water shortage challenges which have since been addressed.
This has resulted in mushrooming of SMEs set up by skilled workers who lost their jobs in various sectors of the economy.
Online Reporter