Gweru hikes Kudzanai bay rentals

INFORMAL traders operating at the Kudzanai bus terminus in Gweru will now have to fork out  between $400 and $800 in rentals per day after the company contracted to refurbish the rank, Bentach Resources, hiked rentals, NewsDay has established.

Bentach yesterday said the increase, necessitated by the prevailing economic environment, would be effective next month.

"Please note that the bay fees will increase as of November 1, 2021," Bentach management said in a notice.

"The new rentals shall be as follows: perishables $400 per day, merchandise $480 per day and hardware $800 per day.

"This has been necessitated by an increase in Bentach pricing index that takes into account micro-economic factors."

Bentach project manager David Kudakwashe could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Zimbabwe Chamber for Small-to-Medium Enterprises Gweru chapter chairperson Tafadzwa Mazorodze said the hike was a burden to the already suffering informal traders.

"Honestly, who would be able to raise such an amount when one is selling vegetables or even hardware?" Mazorodze said.

"Right now, illegal vendors are everywhere in town and there is not much business at Kudzanai.

"Yes, Bentach wants to recover its money after refurbishing the place, but is there any move to promote the SME sector for it to grow?"

Mazorodze said expecting vendors to fork out over $20 000 per month in rental fees was unrealistic and would make people "suffer more".

"Kudzanai is no longer for people who want to grow in business, and besides we are going to see a lot of defaulters," he said.

Gweru Hawkers and Vendors Association chairperson Lovemore Tingaka said the increase, effected barely two months after Kudzanai was opened to informal traders, was made without consultations.

"In such a case we expected the company (Bentach) to make wider consultations with informal traders before making the increases," he said.