By Promise Dube
Informal traders operating at the Mutizi Flea Market in Bulawayo lost goods, stock, and valuables worth an estimated ZWL$80 million after the market was reduced to ashes on Tuesday night.
According to a report by the Fire Brigade, the fire was caused by an unattended electric gadget that was left on.
The market was constructed with brick, iron bars and zinc measuring 60 by 50 metres with an assortment of goods and several backyard rooms used as stalls, a kitchen and a dining room.
Informal traders sell an assortment of goods such as clothing, groceries, detergents, gas cylinders, and stoves among other goods.
The fire was discovered Tuesday night around 11 pm by a cross-border transporter from Messina named Victor who was delivering flea market goods, who called his sister in Cowdray Park, as he did not have numbers of the fire brigade.
The cross-border transporter said the fire was at the centre of the flea market.
His sister also had to call someone else in Pumula South who reportedly called one Trust Chakachichi, to call for help.
The fire brigade report said by the time the fire was discovered the security guard was not on site.
The security guard, Reborn Ndlovu said he was inside the flea market when the fire started but did not have a cellphone so had to leave the flea market to seek help from nearby security guards.
When the fire brigade arrived, the fire was well alight and had spread in all directions.
“The brigade used four jets and two hose reels, breathing apparatus for stage one, which is to control and extinguish the fire,” read the report by the fire brigade.
In an interview with CITE, the affected informal traders said they were pained by the loss as the flea market was their source of livelihood.
“We have no idea what caused the fire but we received phone calls around 11 pm notifying us about this disaster,” Sithabisiwe Moyo.
The informal traders said there were 164 stalls there and 19 shops many residents depended upon that market as they had stocked up a lot of goods.
They also decried the loss of jobs for several people employed at the market amid indications that nearly 300 people were working there.
“Many families are going to suffer including widows and orphans because a lot of people were working here, including youth who were out of school,” they said and expressed gratitude to the fire brigade for coming to their rescue.
The fire brigade report said only an estimated value of ZWL$20 million was recovered out of ZWL$100 million.
The informal traders are now appealing for assistance from the government to renovate the area so that they continue working.
“We did not manage to remove anything and we ask for the government to intervene because we do not know where to start from,” said the affected traders.
Another elderly woman said she had recently stocked her stall that same Tuesday hoping to sell the goods and raise money for school fees.
“Schools are opening soon and I wanted my children to travel back to school this coming Sunday. Now, I do not know where I am going to raise the money from,” said the teary woman.
Thandazani Nyoni added that he used to supply stock to customers as far as Gwanda, Plumtree, and Victoria Falls and all of them were now affected.
“We were making some profits and capitalise on huge volumes. Even those who restocked from us are now affected,” Nyoni said.
