Sculptors’ business remains subdued

Sculpting business is usually viable in areas where there are tourists as local people do not buy sculptures.
In an interview, Mr Austin Sibanda, a sculptor, said business was very slow as they were facing challenges in marketing their products.
“We market our own products and this is so difficult for us considering the financial constraints that we are faced with at the moment.
“Government should help us by marketing our products as well as to sell our products which are of international standards. Sometimes we are forced to go and sell our products abroad as locally there is no market,” he said.
Commenting on the same issue, Mr Solomon Chikukwa, who is also a sculptor, said Government was letting them down as it should have favourable laws that were attractive to tourists.
“Tourists are failing to purchase our products saying that duty charges are exorbitant as they end up paying duty which is twice the price they could have bought the product for.
“Also when there are monies allocated for small and growing businesses, Government does not consider us yet we are also into business,” he said.
He said this has even made it difficult for them to form an association representing them as they have no money to sustain it.
“At the end of the day each man concentrates on selling his or her goods which makes it difficult for us to attract funding as the corporate world wants an organised body,” Mr Chikukwa said.
According to him local people were failing to support them as they too were struggling to survive.
“Many people locally are lowly paid and they can’t afford to spend their money on luxury staff hence they concentrate on basics like food and education.
“This is our livelihood and government should support us so that we can also afford a living. Cross-border traders are given help by the corporate world and the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises yet we are always left out,” he said.
He said they were going for four to five days without selling a single item yet they have to pay city council rates which were exorbitant.
“City council is charging us $17 dollars a month which is too high for us because we are literally selling nothing.
“We can’t even afford to send our children to school as we still have to pay rates making our life so complicated. Government should come to our aid and help us establish our business as we could contribute to the growth of the economy by bringing in foreign currency to the country,” he said.