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“There is no money in this festive season!! “<\/p>\n\n\n\n
20 December 2021
Jeremiah Harrison<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Festive season, the busiest period of the year brings high hopes to everyone especially those in the commercial sector-informal and formal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The current year turns out different as vendors are disappointed with low business this festive season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Is it due to the pandemic (Covid 19) or is it the high flactuating inflation of the deteriorating Zimbabwean economy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The worst is normally expected in January (January disease) after people would have spent all their hardly-earned pennies and bonuses on Christmas holidays enjoying with their families and friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Moneyless Christmas”, some have named it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Christmas day is this week and business is still running low, there is no hope that sales will increase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Zim GBC News spoke to a number of vendors in the streets of Bulawayo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sanelisiwe Ncube a vendor who has been selling potatoes, tomatoes, onions amongst other vegetables since 2005 said,<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Kweminye iminyaka siyabe sikhala kodwa kuyabe kungcono siyakhona ukuthengela abantwana bethu impahla zeKhisimusi, ngo December kunje kuyabe kuyisiphithiphithi kuthengwa kakhulu kodwa kulonyaka kunzima ibusiness ayihambi”<\/p>\n\n\n\n In other years business is usually high during December enabling us to buy Christmas clothes for our children but as of this year business is very low “ Zim GBC News team revisited the newly renovated Bulawayo Small and Medium Centre at OK Mart Complex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking to Mr Mabhena who is into fashion designing, operating at the centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He said that they are happy with the renovations that took place improving the conditions of their workspace at this centre but deplored low business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He said “We are happy with the renovations that took place at this SME centre but unfortunately we are not yet getting new customers, we still have our old customers”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another entrepreneur at Bulawayo SME Centre who chose to remain unknown said that he appreciates the great work done by the stakeholders in improving the conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He also stated that he feels as if the place is too isolated from the CBD and as a result the business is a bit low at the centre as compared to the space he was renting in the CBD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “To be honest the SME centre has good security, good working space but its location is a bit isolated from our markets in CBD maybe as time goes on customers will get used to the place”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Initially before the renovations the rentals were not affordable at all but after the renovations its now better, we pay our rentals in any form of currency to Old Mutual”<\/p>\n\n\n\n He went on to comment on this disappointing festive season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “This December there is no business at all, its just like any other time of the year”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bulawayo SME Centre was officially opened on 13 December 2021 by the International Labour Organization (ILO) alongside Bulawayo Chamber of SMEs amongst various stakeholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The main purpose of the Centre is to formalise the informal sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to statistics provided, businesses in the OK Mart Centre are mainly owner managed with 40.4% having started operations more than 6 year ago. 158 people including the owners are employed by the business, more than 80% of the workers do not have signed contracts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The majority of the businesses 74.6 % are into manufacturing various wares followed by the service sector at 16.4%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Almost half 44.6 % of the businesses operating from this new SME centre are not registered\/sole propietorships and one-third (32.3 %) are registered as Private Limited Companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to several business people operating at Bulawayo SME Centre, they have not yet gained new customers since the renovations of the working space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Zim GBC *News<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" “There is no money in this festive season!! 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She has been surviving from her business of vegetables vending to buy food, pay rentals, school fees for her two children and every year Christmas clothes<\/p>\n\n\n\n