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Ivan Zhakata

Herald Correspondent

NORMAL service has resumed at the popular Mupedzanhamo Market in Mbare, with traders and residents thankful over the reopening of the popular market.

It was active yesterday with traders setting up their business stalls while others were already selling their wares.

Hundreds of people thronged the market and could be seen jostling for cheap second-hand clothes.

In separate interviews, the traders said they were happy with the reopening of the market as they were facing difficulties in running their small businesses.

Mrs Lydia Dhaure said: “We are happy with the reopening of Mupedzanhamo because we were facing hard times with space barons who demanded money from us every day. 

“We used to play a cat and mouse game with the police but now we are happy to have retained the spaces which we used to operate and we are grateful for that.” 

Mrs Beauty Mangachena said the reopening of the market was long overdue. “We are happy with the opening of Mupedzanhamo. We have been selling our wares outside the market for almost four years and things were not going well.

“We were always having problems with space barons who would offer space to the highest bidder. We are happy that the market has been reopened and we were put back in the spaces we used to occupy.”

Mrs Caroline Torovei said the past four years were hell as they operated under harsh circumstances in the open.

“I feel like I can fly with happiness because our problems have ended and we can now trade peacefully,” she said.

The chairperson for the Mupedzanhamo Market Committee Mr Andrew Nyamupukwa, said they were happy that the traders were working in peace. “We are happy that our market has been opened because a lot of things were troubling us when it was closed,” he said.

“We managed to unite after the elections and we put back the tables in consultations with the (Harare City) Council until everything was in place, and we handed the market to council. 

“I am happy for the Zanu PF leadership in Mbare for making sure that the reopening of the market would go ahead smoothly.”

Zanu PF Ward 4 Councillor Boniface Maburutse said: “The issue was of space barons who wanted to take over and control the market but council has now taken over the market.

“The resolution we made at the council was that we are bringing back all the traders that used to have spaces in the market. We do not have any new markets so we said every person who had a space in the market, despite their political affiliation, should retain it.

“Outside the Mupedzanhamo Market, space barons were making money by allocating spaces on open spaces. 

“There was chaos all over and now that we have opened the market, the residents are happy.”