shloboe boe
Bruce Ndlovu
AS Vice-President Chiwenga read his speech at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) 2025 International Business Conference on Wednesday afternoon, Mandlenkosi Moyo was day-dreaming.
Inside Hall 2 at the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre, captains of industry and policymakers were crunching the numbers, giving a thorough examination to the levers of industry that keep the country’s economy ticking. Key policy documents were being reviewed, while problems bedevilling various industries were diagnosed and remedies proposed.
Only a stone’s throw away, with his pushcart filled with delightful beverages, offering cold drinks to heavy hitters, Moyo was stuck in his reverie. The thought of what business leaders were discussing was not what made him drowsy. Instead, his imagination was running wild, as he pictured himself inside that same hall one day in the future. Instead of feeling belittled by the sight of highly regarded men who are charged with making sure the wheels of commerce and industry keep turning, Moyo drew inspiration from being within the same vicinity. Here he was, nearby, breathing the same air as them.
“I take inspiration from what I see at the Trade Fair. I have my little pushcart here, and it’s my only source of income, but lately, I’ve been coming into contact with some of the world’s biggest businesspeople. Just this Wednesday, a major conference was happening right next to my small stall. For someone like me, that’s incredibly inspiring.
“One day, I want to be the person whose hand is being shaken by the Vice-President. I want to be the one on stage, delivering a presentation. Many successful businesspeople started from humble beginnings like mine, and I truly believe I’ll get there too,” he told Saturday Chronicle.
Moyo is part of the army of vendors who usually go about their work unnoticed, particularly during business days. While all eyes are on big companies with their eye-catching stands, he and others go about their business quietly, nursing lofty hopes and ambitions of their own. These men and women are part of the “furniture” at the Trade Fair, an indispensable part of every year’s proceedings. They bring relief to exhibitors and smiles to the faces of children after long days at the fair.
Although he also used to be a visitor once upon a time, Moyo is now looking at things in a different light since he started seeing the fair as a business opportunity.
“For a lot of people, especially the children, the trade fair is the place where they come to look at cool stuff. It’s the place where they just come to play around the fountain or eat nice food. I also used to be like that when I was younger. Now I look at the Trade Fair in a different way. This is the place that inspires me,” he said.
Joseph Phiri said working as a vendor has given him a unique window into what makes businesspeople tick. He observed that while they were extremely busy and focused during the day, they weren’t opposed to unwinding and letting loose in the later hours.
“This place is very active at night. We call it Sikhobokhobo because it’s an entirely different place at night. The popular restaurants don’t close until late at night, and we have a lot of late dinners held as well. At that time of the night, cigarettes are the most in-demand product, and I record brisk business. Night-time is my favourite time during business days,” he said.
Describing a day in the life of a vendor during the trade fair, Phiri said it begins early in the morning and reaches its peak in the evening. The late hours, he added, were a price he is willing to pay in pursuit of success, just like the very people he served.
“By 8AM, I am waiting by the gate. When they open up, I will have already ordered my stock, and ready to rumble. I get to my spot and set up, and I’m here until very late in the evening. I park my cart and then I leave this place at around 8pm,” he said.
Phiri, who was working at the trade fair for the second year in a row, said he was still just as fascinated by the big stands as he was when he came to the fair as a visitor.
“This year, I think the exhibitors have gone the extra mile with their stands. This is my second time at the trade fair, and somehow I feel that it’s just bigger and better than what I saw last year. The exhibitors went all out, and as someone who lives here for the entire week, it’s quite exciting and is something that makes coming here worth it even more, besides the business that we’re registering. People forget that we also enjoy looking at the nice stands. It helps that we can make money while we are doing so,” he said.
Another vendor, Charmaine Moyo, said after operating her pushcart business for seven years, she finally decided to give the trade fair a shot.
“This was my first time at the trade fair as a businessperson, and I felt that, because of the numbers I’d seen in previous years, this was also my chance to make money. I’ve been doing this for seven years, but I’ve never felt the need to bring my business here. I just thought that with the way the event is popular, I should take the opportunity to also make extra cash,” she said.
Online Reporter