The Sunday News
Tinomuda Chakanyuka Sunday News Reporter
NINE vendors were left nursing various degrees of injuries after a market stall from where they were selling their wares collapsed in Mandava high density suburb in Zvishavane last weekend. Some of the injured vendors were taken to Highlands clinic where they were treated and discharged on the same day. The injured sustained injuries after they were hit by fragments of asbestos from the roof or the stall.
Zvishavane Town Council deputy chairperson councillor Samuel Magadzikwa confirmed the accident adding that council had assisted the nine injured vendors to settle medical bills.
“Nine people were injured and as council we assisted them with their medical bills. They were treated and discharged and we have visited them at their homes and I am glad to say they are all doing fine,” he said.
According to some vendors the structure which was constructed at the cost of $40 000 by Zvishavane Town Council collapsed four years after its construction in 2012. The vendors said the structure had been precariously balanced for the past three months but council was not doing anything to rectify the problem.
“This structure always looked like it would fall anytime and despite making reports to council no action was taken. Now they (council) want to take action after people are injured, it’s absurd,” said a vendor who identified herself only as Mai Clare.
The vendors have now demanded that council immediately reconstruct the market stall as it was their own means of survival.
“Right now we are losing a lot of business because of this, yet vending is our only source of livelihood,” said another vendor, Mr Courage Zhou.
Zvishavane director of housing and community services Mr Nhlanhla Ngwenya said the council will start re-construction of the market stall immediately.
“On behalf of council I would like to express our sincere apologies to everyone who was injured in the mishap. As council we are going to immediately start constructing this stall so that people may quickly return to their work,” he said.
Asked on claims by vendors that the market stall cost council $40 000, Mr Ngwenya could not give a definitive response saying he needed to first check with council records.
“I can’t say it cost $40 000 or not because it was constructed in stages. I need to check our records first before I can comment,” he said.
