Online Reporter
Trust Freddy-Zimpapers Correspondent
Onismo Nyazvigo is only 36 years old, but as he sits atop the charred, skeletal remains of six sofa sets, he looks like a man who has lived a century of hardship in a single night.
He is not physically ill, yet he gasps for air. His breath comes in laboured hitches, each one a painful reaction to the sight of his life’s work reduced to a grey, smouldering heap.
For Nyazvigo and hundreds of other informal traders at Mbare’s Magaba Market, the dawn brought no light — only the cold realisation of total loss.
“I have lost nearly US$10 000 worth of goods,” Nyazvigo says, his voice thick with grief he can barely contain.
“I had a mountain of sofas packed here. The machinery, the tools . . . all of it is just ash now.”
He reaches down, his fingers stained with soot, and picks up a mangled piece of a compressor. He shakes his head slowly, the metal clicking against the debris.
Since 2010 — 16 years of sweat and grit — this market has been his home.
“How am I going to feed my children?” he asks, more of the universe than the reporter.
“This was my only source of income. I had just paid for materials for five new sets. The deposits were in. Now, I have nothing. To those who wish to help, please . . . every cent counts. I am starting from zero.”
Sitting beside Nyazvigo is his workmate, Mr Fadzai Chikopo. The two men look as though they are suffering from the same physical ailment, but they are simply sharing the same paralysing grief.
They sit in a silence so heavy it feels loud.
When spoken to, Mr Chikopo blinks slowly, looking like a man waking from a nightmare only to find himself still in it.
“Ma1,” he mutters, using the local shorthand for a situation beyond repair. “I have lost everything. We could not retrieve a single piece of wood.”
Mr Chikopo estimates his losses at US$5 000.
The fire, which reportedly broke out between midnight and 1:00 am, moved too fast for the night-watchmen or the traders to intervene. By the time they arrived, the sky was orange and their futures were black.
For traders like Mr Gift Tinevimbo, the fire did not just take his stock; it took his peace of mind.
“Honestly, how do I explain this to the clients?” Mr Tinevimbo posed, sniffing as if he was on the verge of tears. “People paid their deposits. They expect their furniture. Where am I going to get the money to pay them back? Where do I get the capital to buy even one plank of wood?”
While the furniture section is a graveyard of timber and fabric, the fire was contained before it could swallow the entire market.
The metalworking section, dominated by steel structures, stood defiant against the flames.
“We are relieved the Fire Brigade managed to contain it,” said Mr Arnold Kuziva, a welder whose stall was spared. “We do metal doors and frames; the nature of our materials and the quick response kept the fire from spreading to our side. But seeing our brothers lose everything… it hurts us all.”
The cause of the fire has not yet been established.
However, by midday, police and members of the Civil Protection Unit had cordoned off the area as they carried out their investigation. Various theories have emerged, with some suspecting foul play while others suspect electrical faults.
Harare City Council issued a statement yesterday confirming that the fire had been contained.
“A huge fire has broken out at Magaba Complex in Mbare. Our firefighters promptly responded when the call was made,” reads part of the statement.
“We urge residents to exercise extreme caution around the affected area.”
When this news crew arrived at the scene, the fire had already been contained.
Bongani Ndlovu