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The International Labour Organization (ILO) is demonstrating that safe marketplaces are essential for Zimbabwe’s development, and collaborative efforts from stakeholders can ensure their maintenance and improvement.
Maria Mutandwa, the ILO Zimbabwe Communication Officer, while addressing media practitioners touring the Chesvingo Safe Market in Masvingo town today, said partners added features of a children’s play centre and clinic (GBV) with a nurse on site as a contribution by the Masvingo Municipality to make the marketplace safe.
“The informal sector is the biggest employer in the country at the moment, and we are aware of the many participants in the informal sector who are operating from the side of the road, from the front of their homesteads, and from everywhere, we are aware of them. So together with the AFDB, which provided the financial support and ILO the technical support to this project, we came together and consulted the Ministry of Women and Youth, the Municipality of Masvingo, and also the Ministry of Labour and our Tripartite partners.
“As you know, ILO works with the trade unions, employers, and the Ministry of Labour representing government. So there was a consultation. As one way to focus the project, it was agreed that Masvingo needed some quality uplifting, hence this unit came up, and it was launched in May this year. So in addition to the market, there is an ECD centre, which is strategically based to accommodate the children of people who are operating from the market. And there is also a GBV centre to respond to the community around GBV issues. So in the GBV centre, we have the Musasa Project, helping with psychosocial support,” Mutandwa said.
Masvingo Teachers College is supporting the ECD centre with trained teachers. On the other hand, the Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association is supporting the GBV Centre with legal issues.
“So while they are operating separately, they are together in terms of the focus of the concept that came up when we were discussing the project.
There are delays concerning uptake at the ECD centre. What we’ve picked is some of the participants in this market are rather slow in taking up occupancy at the ECD centre because they are not generating enough income to have their children in the ECD centre. So there are further discussions on how to mitigate against that because this was built primarily to respond to their needs,” Mutandwa added.
Justice Ganganiso, the Assistant Area Superintendent for Masvingo City Council said the market has 80 beneficiaries but for the time being there are 78 spaces which are fully occupied and the two which are not occupied are reserved for persons with disabilities.
“Most of the beneficiaries we have here are women. And we’ve got only four guys who are with disabilities. We’ve got youth as well, who are also the beneficiaries. It was a very good achievement in Masvingo to have a safe market. It has also benefited our residents since we had an influx of illegal vendors in the past but now that we’ve got the market, we have reduced the number of illegal vendors who have been operating outside. We’d like to thank the partnership we’ve just done, and we’d like to thank, and also we want to have another development like this in our city, if by chance,” Ganganiso said.
Blessing Mutume (45), the Chairperson of Chesvingo Safe Marketplace bemoaned the fact that business is still low at the safe market.
“The rentals are US$10 per month. Business is still low. We have water, toilets, solar system for pumping water and lighting. We need a cloakroom to keep our wares after we finish work. We are appealing to organisations to provide us with loans to buy more goods for sale,” Mutume said.
Ruth Matiashe (40 years), a member of the Chesvingo Safe Marketplace said the workspace is secure.
“Here, there are no running battles with the police. No rains. Business is not yet lucrative hence members are not enrolling their children at the ECD Centre which costs only US$30,” she said.
