By Staff Reporter

The government has pledged to provide improved safety standards for traders at the Magaba informal Industrial Complex in Mbare, Harare, following an inferno that destroyed equipment and stocks worth thousands of dollars last week.

Deputy Minister of Women Affairs, Community Development and Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Honourable Kiven Mutimbanyoka, who visited affected traders at the site said government was moving to provide both immediate and long-term support.

“As Government we commiserate with the affected people and we are establishing ways to immediately assist the affected traders. Already Government has built structures at Mbare which are occupied, and we are in the process of extending the same to areas such as these where this incident took place,” he said.

He added that traders need to formalise their operations and join micro-insurance schemes to cushion themselves against losses from such accidents in such high risk environments.

More than 50 business units were wiped out and the owners were left reeling while appealing for assistance to rebuild their livelihoods.

Informal economy associations have for long been calling on local authorities to provide safer working spaces but the response from authorities has not been encouraging. Fires have broken out at the citys informal hubs like Glen View 7, Mbare Musika and Magaba causing extensive damage.

Traders have called for stronger fire safety measures, regular inspections and better urban planning to prevent fires from spreading quickly.

The fire’s impact on Mbare’s local economy is expected to be severe, with many SMEs struggling to recover. While the City of Harare Fire Brigade’s efforts have been acknowledged, the road to recovery will be long and challenging.