Kariba informal traders have raised concerns on the delay in the completion of a new market, raising fears on their plight in the imminent rainy season.
This comes after the Kariba Town Council in May 2021 decided to build a new vegetable and flea market business unit to help decongest the town at the same-time envisaging to transform the face of Kariba Town.
The council pulled down over 400 trading bays in the old market, due to poor standards and informal traders operating in that area were shifted to a temporary market area with makeshift shades.
A few months after the council relocated informal traders to a temporary market, there is little movement in the construction of the new market. The traders are stressed that the rainy season is imminent and this will further disrupt their businesses.
”The rainy season is almost here and it was estimated that the construction of the new market will be complete before the rainy season, as vendors we are worried because we were relocated to a temporary shelter which does not protect us from the harsh weather conditions,” said Judge Karombo, an informal trader in Kariba.
Karombo further said that the market is not yet complete and they are also worried that the new market will not be able to accommodate a huge number of vendors.
Kariba informal traders are appealing to the council to speed up the market construction in order for them to be sheltered during the rainy season.