Traders at the Glen View Area 8 Complex in Harare are counting losses running into thousands of United States Dollars after a devastating fire swept through the busy informal trading hub on Saturday night, destroying goods, tools, furniture materials and finished products.
The blaze, which reportedly started around midnight, rapidly engulfed sections of the complex, leaving extensive destruction in its wake and reigniting concerns over safety standards at one of the capital’s busiest trading centres. Investigations into the cause of the fire were still underway by Sunday.
In an interview with journalists yesterday, Minister of State for Harare Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Charles Tawengwa, urged traders and market leadership to strengthen safety and coordination.
“There seems to be discord in terms of how this place must be run. Once that is sorted, we can prevent such huge losses. Responsible leadership is needed urgently,” he said.
Chief Director of the Department of Civil Protection, Nathan Nkomo, said Government plans to transform the area into a safer and more regulated workspace.
“Cabinet approved that this place needs a revamp, and that is what we want to implement. We aim to temporarily move traders for about six months so we can fix this place,” he said.
A nearby resident said the fire came dangerously close to claiming lives.
“We nearly died last night because of this fire. It was an uncontrollable inferno that almost burnt our houses too. Luckily, the wind blew in our favour, otherwise it could have been a total disaster,” she said.
Many traders and residents said the fire moved too fast to allow for salvaging property. Some pointed to longstanding management and operational challenges within the market.
“We are not organised, that is the challenge. If our things were in order, we would have managed to identify the source of the fire and contain it earlier,” one trader said.
Another trader blamed poor security systems for worsening the situation.
“We tried to salvage what we could, but we were locked outside, and the security personnel were drunk and nowhere to be found. If they were doing their job well, we could have saved more stock,” he said.
A carpenter operating within the complex added that repeated fires were threatening livelihoods.
“It is sad that we are going back to square one. This perennial challenge means our survival is at risk. We need a permanent solution.”
The complex has suffered multiple fire outbreaks over the years, prompting renewed calls for structural reforms.
Traders now face the arduous task of quantifying losses and rebuilding their businesses yet again, as Glen View Area 8 continues to grapple with recurring fire disasters.
