A massive fire swept through Mbare Musika, the country’s largest marketplace, late last night, destroying goods worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and leaving hundreds of traders without a source of income.
The fire, which broke out around 9.30 p.m. rapidly spread across the sprawling market, destroying stalls and consuming merchandise.
Firefighters struggled to control the raging flames and by dawn, the majority of the market had been reduced to rubble, with blackened remains the only evidence of what was once a busy hub of business.
Mbare Musika is a critical economic artery for Harare and beyond, where thousands of informal traders sell everything from fresh produce to household goods and the fire has dented their livelihoods.
“In my whole life, I have never witnessed a thing like this. The market has been our livelihood where we have raised and supported our children from but now everything has just gone. We don’t know where to start from. We depended on the market to feed our families as well as paying rentals,” said an elderly woman who had her stall destroyed.
A trader who identified herself as Monica said she is in shock and has no hope of what tomorrow holds after the incident.
“I’ve lost everything, imagine just yesterday I restocked and now I have nothing. How am I supposed to feed my children or pay my rent? I don’t how I will manage and what the future holds for my children,” said Monica before breaking down in tears
Another trader, Peter Mlambo described the destruction as disastrous.
“I only received a call on the incident around midnight and I came early morning to check on the situation only to be welcomed by rubbles. I had over $5,000 worth of stock in my stall. It’s all gone. We have no insurance. What are we supposed to do?” said Mlambo
The destruction of Mbare Musika will have far-reaching impacts beyond the vendors, as many families in Harare depend on the market for affordable food and goods.
Some of the vendors called for authorities to swiftly repair the marketplace but were worry of space barons.
“We are calling authorities to quickly repair the market and allocate bonafide traders because our fear is there are people who may take advantage of the situation to grab space from genuine space holders. It is our plea to the Government to intervene on this,” said Memory Musinake.
