News / Regional
Gwanda Indoor flea market turned into a church
03 Feb 2014 at 07:11hrs | Views
A once very vibrant indoor flea market in Gwanda has been closed and converted into a church.
The flea market located at a very strategic business spot at the exit of the Gwanda Bulawayo highway closed off at the end of December to accommodate a church led by supposedly a Nigerian man of God. The church known as the Rock of Adullam Ministries International occupied the building beginning of January and currently has a congregation of no more than 20 people.
The flea market had always been a busy point for people getting lifts from vehicles leaving Gwanda along the Bulawayo Highway. It was a major service point for people going to near by Matshetsheni and Mtshabezi villages and informal gold miners mining the area around the Bulawayo Highway.
The flea market opened for business in the early 90s at the height of Zimbabwe's economic woes and survived through the harsh 10 years of economic slump. Traders brought in various goods for trade from South Africa ranging from foodstuffs in the days of food shortages to most recent days of solar panels and generators in the wake of continuos power cuts. The market was also a busy place for the local gold miners as it provided them with most of the impliments like torches, worksuits, picks and shovels they needed for their activity.
The evicted traders expressed disappointment at the closure of the flea market considering that the local council has for a long time now been at war with the towns vendors who trade at undisignated areas. The streets of Gwanda particularly the town's main street that joins the Bulawayo and Beitbridge Highways is occupied with several "illegal" vendors as council does not have enough designated vending space.
A rough estimate is that the building had no less than 50 traders who were each paying the owners about $5 per day or $150 per month. This would give an estimate of $7 500 per month leaving one wondering how much the church is paying except off course if there is a higher benefit on the blessings part which is not immediately determinable.
One of the former occupants of the flea market blamed the move on economic sabotage of the local people by the owners who she accused of being "from outside Gwanda".
"We have made the owners of the building very rich over the years and when they have had enough of our money they throw us out in the open. We are tired of people coming from outside Gwanda to make money out of us and not have a single feeling about our welfare as people of Gwanda" fumed the trader identified and well know as MaNdlo.
MaNdlo who is now sharing a little space with a "friend" at another flea market strangely located in front of the town's banking zone said she has no alternative but squeeze in the little corner her friend gave her.
"My friend sales tomatoes and vetables and I sale ladies clothing so we are not competing I will just have to squeeze here for now but who buys vegetables and panties at the same time" said MaNdlo in laughter.
Source - Byo24News
