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Mash West Bureau
INFORMAL traders in Mashonaland West have called on Government to give them easy access to Point of Sale machines to enable them to utilise plastic money. In an interview on the sidelines of a NSSA pipeline informal sector pension scheme meeting in Chinhoyi recently, Small to Medium Enterprises Association provincial chair Mr Ruzive Ruzive called for easy access to swipe machines by SMEs so that they can continue to enjoy profits they used to get and be able to compete with formal traders.

“Access to swipe machines especially for informal traders has become a cumbersome process. If you apply for a machine you will be promised that in two weeks you will have it, but it takes up to six months and this has negatively affected our operations. The shortage of swipe machines is even kicking some of small business people out of business since people are now mostly using plastic money,” said Mr Ruzive.

“Imagine there are traders who are breadwinners who are in the vegetable and fruit industry who used to sell these products to customers kumisika but these same customers are now buying the same produce in big supermarkets,” he said. SME Chamber vice chair Mr West Chinembiri said SMEs are the engine of growth and heart of the economy who are also driving the economy.

“As SMEs we are the engine and heart of the economy as we contribute immensely to the growth of this country so if our plight is taken into consideration it will not help us and the nation at large,” said Mr Chinembiri.