Online Reporter
Remember Deketeke
Herald Correspondent
GOVERNMENT has pledged urgent intervention to assist 14 cooperatives and small-to-medium enterprises affected by a devastating fire that gutted workspaces at Riverside Manufacturing Cooperative in Mbare’s Magaba industrial hub.
This was said by Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Deputy Minister Kiven Mutimbanyoka yesterday during a tour of Siyaso Industry, describing the incident as a setback.
“I stand before you today with a heavy heart following the unfortunate fire incident that gutted workspaces belonging to cooperators under the Riverside Manufacturing Cooperative here at Mbare Magaba,” he said.
“Allow me to begin by conveying Government’s deepest sympathy to the 14 cooperatives and SMEs whose businesses have been affected.
“We recognise that what has been lost is not merely equipment and materials; it is your livelihoods, your investments, your aspirations and the well-being of your families.”
Among the measures under consideration are access to recovery support facilities and concessional loans, engagement with financial institutions and development partners to assist with equipment replacement, temporary operational arrangements to enable businesses to resume.
Preliminary assessments indicate that property and equipment worth approximately US$77 680 was destroyed in the blaze.
Among the items lost were compressors, electric hand drills, staple guns, toolboxes, foam rubber, upholstery fabric, bed bases, ottomans, timber, ABR sheets, wooden boards, thinners and various carpentry and metal fabrication tools.
He said Government was adopting a Whole-of-Government Approach to address the crisis, with the involvement of the Zimbabwe Republic Police, the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, the Department of Civil Protection and the City of Harare.
“As Government, we are here not only to express our sympathy, but to demonstrate our commitment to action,” he said.
