City of Harare registers carpenters operating at Glen View Area 8 Complex

The department of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) under the Harare City Council is registering all traders, mostly carpenters, at the Glen View Area 8 Home Industries and issuing them with licenses to operate from there.

In an interview with New Ziana on Monday, Glen View Area 8 complex management committee chairperson Tawanda Utete said some officials from the department have been based at the complex since Wednesday last week and will wind up the exercise on Monday.

“Officials from the City SMEs department have been working at the complex since Wednesday 18 January up to Monday 22 January where they are assisting to formalise or register all the informal traders at a fee of USD10.00 which will cater for an operating licence,” he said.

Utete said over 300 carpenters have been registered so far and the department is inviting more to go and register on Monday, which is the last day of the visit at the complex.

“From there all those who wish to formalise their business and operate at the complex will have to visit City of Harare offices first,” he said.

Turning to the development that his management committee has initiated since it was appointed in September last year, Utete said they have installed a perimeter wall around the complex which is now 75 percent complete.

He said they have also purchased two 5 000 litre water tanks, engaged the Harare City Council SMEs department as well as the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community Development and Small to Medium Enterprises for more assistance.

They have also seconded 15 people to the City of Harare Fire Brigade where they are receiving training in firefighting with a view to prevent future infernos and loss of properties at the complex, he said.

“The Harare City Council SMEs department said it is going to engage the Ministries of Local Government and that of Women Affairs, Community Development, Small to Medium Enterprises and other stakeholders to assist in developing the complex,” said Utete.

He said they have identified a company which can refurbish the complex and are still discussing the price for doing so as well as the payment modalities.

Utete said the Glen View Area 8 complex is the biggest home industries in the country and his committee was aiming to modernise it to regional and international standards.

On the issue of some thugs who used to terrorise the traders, collecting monthly contributions which they put to their personal use while not developing the complex, Utete said that was now a thing of the past.

Turning to the fires that periodically break out at the complex, he said they were waiting for a forensic report from the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) on the investigations that were carried out into the causes of the fires.

New Ziana