After hours shopping increases in Bulawayo

THE Bulawayo business community operating within the Central Business District where the new vehicle parking system has been installed has reported increased after hours business.

However, businesses have said that in general, they have seen a decrease in business of 30 to 40 percent as people shunned their areas because of prohibitive parking costs during the day.

Bulawayo City Council working in partnership with Tendy Three Investments, in February introduced the parking management system which was met with a public outcry with residents and the business community accusing the local authority of not holding adequate consultations before its implementation. Motorists pay US$1 or local equivalent for one-hour parking in the CBD.

Sunday News last week conducted a survey and spoke to several business operators who said that people now preferred shopping after hours.

FAZAK Africa director Miss Aziza Hawa said they had since lost business as their clients shun the parking system which they have described as expensive.

"We have since lost significant revenue over the past month after the introduction of the new parking system. We have clients who mostly buy heavy goods from us and will prefer to load it into their cars.

However, as they park just to collect the parcel, these guys (parking marshals) immediately jump on them. Our business has gone down by close to 40 percent. Recently I engaged our leaser and explained our situation, that is how bad it is.

Unfortunately, we close early but clients now prefer shopping after these guys are gone and we have witnessed it on Saturdays where we close later than them," said Miss Hawa.

A local businesswoman who runs boutiques in the CBD, Mrs Voice Chirikadzi said they had decided to extend working hours as business was now higher after hours.

"We have actually considered extending working hours because we have realised that we are getting more customers coming in after-hours, unlike before the introduction of the new parking system when people shopped willy nilly," said Mrs Chirikadzi.

While the business community has bemoaned lack of consultation by council, motorists further questioned the awarding of the tender to a South African Company.