$1,5m for Mbare Musika rehab Mbare Market . . .

mbaremusikaInnocent Ruwende:Municipal Reporter

Harare City Council is set to refurbish Mbare Musika Farmers’ Market to the tune of $1,5 million as it seeks to improve the working environment, as well as address water and sanitation issues.There are fears that lack of proper sanitation at the market could have been one of the major drivers of water borne diseases such as typhoid which hit Mbare suburb recently.

Speaking during a tour of Mbare Musika yesterday, acting town clerk Mrs Josephine Ncube said council was also set to decongest the market, while long-term plans were to develop it into a modern multi-storey market.

“Our architects have redesigned the farmers market to have a roof and raised market stalls,” she said. “We will also include additional toilets and wash bays. We will reserve space for a future cold room so that farmers will not go back with farm produce which is not bought.

“It is going to cost $1,5 million to work on the market. We will also refurbish the roads around the market. In terms of funding, we will make sure that 20 percent of revenue from the market is retained. We have also organised traders to make sure they participate in cleaning the area.”

Mrs Ncube said council was going to decongest the market by opening new markets in Hatcliffe, Mabvuku and at Mbudzi Round About.

She said she was expecting the city’s borrowing powers to be approved by the Ministry of Finance and once that process was completed, council would acquire refuse compactors, road equipment, as well as recapitalise Harare Quarry.

Mrs Ncube said the council fleet which was procured seven years ago had outlived its lifespan since it operates 20 hours a day. In 2015, council approved a partnership deal to undertake a $45 million development project of Mbare Musika.

Harare mayor Mr Bernard Manyenyeni said there were some political activists running an operation around Mbare Musika.

“Their revenue streams are unaccounted for,” he said.

“We do not know whether they are collecting money from vendors or council, but what we know is council is losing revenue. For now, our emphasis is to clean the place and we will make sure order is maintained by recognised council structures. At the moment we have no idea of what council is getting from the market.”

Council approved the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the City of Harare and Olshevick Investments, a property development firm, to upgrade Mbare Musika.

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