Bulawayo businesspeople whose shops were vandalised and
looted by protesters a fortnight ago say they are anxious about restocking,
fearing a recurrence.
The stayaway, called for by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade
Unions two weeks ago, turned violent and ended in a looting spree and vandalism
of property in high-density suburbs such as Nkulumane, Cowdray Park, Pumula,
Luveve, Sizinda and Lobengula, among others, with business losing millions of
dollars worth of goods in the process.
Speaking at a meeting organised by Bulawayo Provincial
Affairs minister Judith Ncube to map the way forward, Bulawayo Western Business
Association chairperson Busina Tshuma expressed fear over reinvesting in the
city.
“We are bankrupt, yet we are expected to pay employees who
have been forced to sit at home by the situation. The huge taxes as well as
suppliers are waiting for a payment plan towards the looted goods that we had
not paid for,” Tshuma said.
The goods that retailers lost during the raids are said to
be uninsurable. Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers founder and president,
Denford Mutashu, said there was need to strengthen the relationship between
business and government.
“There is need for us to engage insurance companies as
business people, but some of us cannot even engage insurance companies, hence
the need to have a process that is not discriminatory when coming up with
solutions,” he said.
Employers present at the meeting spoke about their loss of
important documents and information due to the vandalism that transpired during
the protests. Women’s Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises
Development minister Sithembiso Nyoni vowed to help rebuild the city.
“The economy is driven by businesspeople and not only
government; government facilitates,” she said.
Nyoni asked businesses that were affected to compile lists
of goods lost so they can make plans to compensate them. Hundreds of workers in
Bulawayo have also lost their jobs in the wake of the protests that also
created serious food shortages in high-density areas. Newsday
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