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Nqobile Tshili, Business Reporter
THE business community in Maphisa has appealed to Government to improve the road network connecting Matobo District to major roads leading to neighbouring South Africa and Botswana to facilitate trade.
Maphisa Business Centre is the commercial hub of Matobo District in Matabeleland South and businesses in the area heavily rely on supplies from Bulawayo and the two neighbouring countries hence the need for a good road network.
In an interview, Maphisa Small and Medium Enterprises chairperson, Mr Denny Ncube, said the dilapidated road network was negatively affecting business activities.
“The road network connecting us to the outside world is in a bad state and this is affecting our business operations. We have three major roads connecting us to the outside world,” he said.
“We have Bulawayo-Maphisa Road, which is better but is largely a strip road. The two other roads that are critical for our business operations are in a very bad state. These are Maphisa-Gwanda Road, which connects us to South Africa and the Maphisa-Mphoengs Road.
“These two are seriously dilapidated and this reduces traffic flow to the centre, thereby affecting our operations.”
Mr Ncube implored Government to urgently look into the matter and direct relevant authorities to fix the concerned roads so as to spur economic growth in the province.
“Our businesses are highly linked to South Africa and Botswana. We don’t mind if Government mounts toll gates on the two roads. We would be happy to pay the toll fees as long as the road network is in a good state,” he said.
Mr Ncube also said businesses in Maphisa were feeling the pinch from the challenging macro-economic environment, which is characterised by rising inflation and high costs of doing business.
He however, said their operations were being sustained by the support from the diaspora community, which brings remittances for families back home.
“We have a facility where those in South Africa or Botswana buy from our shops so that their families here can collect groceries among other things to beat transport costs. This initiative has sustained a lot of businesses locally because if it wasn’t for this a lot of shops could have shut down,” said Mr Ncube.
“We are in a very unpredictable economic situation where upon getting used to something, things drastically change and if you are not alert you would be pushed out of business.”
He said Government’s policy that everyone trades in local currency has also affected their business operations considering that they purchase most of their stock in neighbouring countries. Mr Ncube said their wish as a business community was to meet Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Minister, Dr Sithembiso Nyoni, to share with her their challenges as she previously came in handy in addressing their plight. — @nqotshili.
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