adminAbel Zhakata Under the Spotlight
THIS is probably the busiest spot in Mutare’s Central Business District. It represents a mixture or rather a concoction of diverse commercial activities where formal business enterprises are intertwined with informal joints – some with a legal standing while the bulk of them are downright illegal operations.
This is the hub of Mutare, popularly known as Moto Moto, which literally means fire-fire.
For some it is a no-go area, while for others their bread is buttered there on a daily basis. The City Centre Hotel building is the nucleus to this business centre where everything and anything goes.
From cellphone dealers, foreign exchange barons, estate agents, mechanics and the ever-growing Nigerian motor spares entrepreneurs, Moto Moto houses them all.
You can liken it to former Harare’s Ximex Mall.
Although at times activities there are a thorn in the flesh for law enforcement agents, the same detectives visit the centre to get clues and tips on high profile criminal cases that need to be solved.
In most cases, they get the answers they need.
“When your friend loses a cellphone, you first visit Moto Moto before you go anywhere. I am not saying the dealers there are thieves, but most of the stolen property is sold there for a song. After a night’s work, thieves off-load their stuff there because they need a quick buck which is readily available,” said a detective who requested not to be named.
He said most of his informers were from Moto-Moto and they were always up-to-date with happenings around town.
“The rumour mill of everything that happens in this city is located at Moto Moto. If you want an update of the biggest deals going on in the city go there and you will hear it all,” he added.
In recent years, police conducted sporadic raids at Moto Moto as cases of burglary, theft from cars and cell-phone theft sky-rocketed to high proportions.
Most of the stolen property was recovered.
“In these times of high unemployment levels, Moto Moto has become an equal opportunity employment centre for most youths who are roaming the streets. If you want your cellphone applications to be updated with applications like WhatsApp, you go there and they charge you a $1. It is a fair deal. Yes, criminals always take advantage when people throng a place, but that is expected.
“Because a lot of people frequent Moto Moto, supporting businesses have emerged to provide services. Canteens are booming although the bulk of them are illegal as well as car wash bays and hair salons,” said a second hand clothes flea market operator who chose to be called Florence.
“When times are good, I take home $100 a day which is a lot of money and I can afford to send my children to school. Things are tough, but we have to soldier on,” she said.
Interestingly, mechanics who used to operate from the periphery of the city have literally invaded the CBD. They are there in their numbers at Moto Moto.
There are those who recondition brake pads, clutch plates, cylinder heads and gearboxes. Although most of them operate from makeshift structures or even from their work ethic is satisfactory.
A textbook vendor, Claudius Muronda, said he earns $30 a day from selling second-hand books.
“I am doing brisk business here along the pavement, but my worry is the Municipal Police who raid us on a daily basis. Because of these raids I have devised numerous ways to find my way through. I am now wearing training shoes which make it easy to run during the raids. I am always on high alert. If you are caught it’s a big loss and you might fail to trade again. It’s a gamble,” he said.
A cellphone dealer who only chose to be called Ronnie said he always gets in trouble with the police after buying stolen gadgets.
“I am a regular client at Mutare Central Police Station for receiving stolen property. We buy phones at cheap prices and put our mark up and at times thieves off-load their loot on us at give-away rates and you get tempted to buy. At times we are raided unawares by the police and they demand that we produce receipts for the things that we sell. You lose out in the process if you have nothing to show,” he said.
Festo who is into selling smart television sets said he was just a middleman.
“I am just a runner. I work for a lady who has a shop inside and I stand here on the pavement looking for customers. I get a commission on sales made. It is hard, but there is nothing you can do about it. We need to survive,” he said.
Moto Moto never sleeps because when night falls, a new breed of entrepreneurs – flesh peddlers – take centre stage.
The ever busy Mandisa Night Club provides a good hunting ground for ladies of the night to look for prospective clients.
Another new crop of nocturnal vendors also invade the centre to sell their wares that include condoms, cigarettes, dagga, Concluder and snacks. Street urchins also get into the picture asking for money from patrons to look after their vehicles that will be parked along Herbert Chitepo Street.
Those who do not cede to their demands will be putting their vehicles at risk.
Some of the commercial sex workers line up along the street, scantily dressed, flagging down motorists like what happens in Harare’s Avenues area.
When day breaks it’s another day.
During weekends Moto Moto’s car park area which was turned into a flea market by the local authority will be a hive of activity. No vehicles will be allowed and vendors erect their tents to sell wares.
The resultant commotion has presented a good breeding ground for thieves who pounce on unsuspecting buyers.
This has put a strain on limited abolition facilities, resulting in some people reliving themselves behind established shops at the complex.
Welcome to Moto Moto.
Online Reporter