By Staff Reporter
JUST after three weeks, another fire has ripped through a different section of the market, leaving traders reeling from fresh losses.
The fire, which broke out on Sunday, reduced dozens of stalls to ashes as desperate vendors watched helplessly.
The cause of the latest inferno is yet to be established, but witnesses said it spread rapidly through the highly congested and flammable market structure.
The Glen View Area 8 complex, one of Zimbabwe’s largest informal industrial hubs, has suffered multiple fire outbreaks over the years.
The most recent incident on July 27 destroyed hundreds of stalls, prompting President Mnangagwa to invoke the Civil Protection Act and declare the complex a state of disaster, paving the way for emergency interventions and reconstruction efforts.
In his declaration last month, the President described the market as a vital economic lifeline for thousands of families.
The Government had pledged to mobilise resources for its rehabilitation. However, Sunday’s fire has raised fresh concerns about the safety and resilience of people at the complex.
Harare City Council’s fire department managed to put out the blaze before it engulfed the entire section, but officials confirmed that extensive damage had already been done.
Traders are now appealing to the Government for urgent intervention, with some calling for a complete overhaul of the market’s infrastructure to prevent recurring disasters.
The repeated infernos have also rekindled debate on the need for relocating the market or modernising it into a fire-resistant industrial park.
As affected entrepreneurs count their losses, authorities face mounting pressure to expedite long-term solutions for one of Zimbabwe’s busiest informal economic hubs – now scarred by yet another devastating fire.
