The Sunday News
Judith Phiri, Sunday News Reporter
HWANGE Local Board (HLB) is working on a programme aimed at providing Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and players in the informal sector with decent work spaces as part of its efforts to empower and grow their businesses.
According to the local authority’s latest monthly newsletter, HLB town secretary Mr Ndumiso Mdlalose said they were making concerted efforts to empower small entrepreneurs through exploring ways of providing them with appropriate areas to operate from.
“There are a number of backyard industries that have sprouted at most homes in residential areas. We have plans to move these enterprises by providing the owners with proper working space,” said Mr Mdlalose.
He added that the setting-up of appropriate working spaces for SMEs and players in the informal sector would also enable the local authority to generate income through licensing their businesses.
“It’s not sustainable for council to budget on penalising individuals operating backyard industries. We would rather budget on licensing them and in the process generate income from their operations,” he said.
Mdlalose also said the local authority has a number of areas dotted around its area of jurisdiction, which have been designated for light industry and strategically situated to ensure viability of enterprises operating from there.
The designated areas for light industry services will be made to be close to the people. This will in turn ensure that most people do not just spend most of their income on transport going to work, but rather spend as little as possible to get to work to ensure that whatever resources they get are put into production.
Mr Mdlalose also noted that as a way of showing its commitment towards growing small enterprises, the local authority has included funding of SMEs projects in its budget.
“We need these SMEs projects to be included on our budget and over and above all Government has funds set aside for these types of projects.
“We also have plans to establish an SMEs incubation centre as well as setting up vending bays with proper ablution facilities at the disused Empumalanga Bus Terminus,” said Mr Mdlalose.
He also hinted that the local authority was looking forward to completing construction of vegetable market stalls two of which are in Empumalanga and one in Chibondo suburb.
The vegetable market stalls were constructed by the then Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing in 2008 following an Operation code-named Restore Order/Murambatsvina.
However, the operation winded up before the completion of the structures due to lack of funding. The local authority took over the project but inadequate resources for the project stalled progress.
Operation Murambatsvina was meant to clear Zimbabwe’s urban areas of illegal settlements, commercial activities and eradicate the spread of deadly communicable diseases such as cholera among others.
“The vegetable market stalls are a Government project and it’s our mandate and obligation to see to it that any Government project within our area of jurisdiction is completed for the benefit of the people,” said Mr Mdlalose.
HLB housing and community services director Mr Ananias Banda reiterated Mr Mdlalose’s sentiments hinting that the local authority was committed to accelerate development of start-up and fledging entrepreneurs to effectively impact on growth of the economy.
“We have areas designated for light industry and we have also engaged Urban Development Corporation (Udcorp) to assist us in setting up a SMEs incubation centre.
“The idea of coming up with an incubation centre is aimed at ensuring that these SMEs improve the quality of their products. We also want them to grow and not to remain small,” said Mr Banda.
Last year, the local authority organised a workshop where the Standard Association of Zimbabwe (SAZ) certified bricks that are produced by some of the brick moulders locally.
