Mbare Traders' Market: Building a Hotel in the Slums
In a move that has left many scratching their heads, the Local Government and Public Works Minister, Daniel Garwe, has announced an ambitious plan to transform the Mbare Traders' Market.
Masimba Handpicked to Rebuild Mbare Traders' Market
According to Garwe, the new market will not only feature a budget hotel but also cold rooms and a three-storey structure designed to accommodate a whopping 10,000 traders.
And all of this is supposed to be completed within the next six months. Yes, you read that right—six months.
Garwe claims that the project is currently in the design finalisation stage, with the President himself directing that the market should be built “better and bigger.”
This grand vision is apparently part of a regeneration exercise sparked by a recent fire disaster.
The new structure will have three floors, with hardware traders on the ground floor, vegetable and perishable item traders on the first floor, and other product traders on the top floor.
Mbare Traders' Market: Building a Hotel in the Slums
But let's take a step back and ask the obvious question: is this really feasible? The idea of accommodating 10,000 traders in a three-storey building sounds more like a logistical nightmare than a well-thought-out plan.
And let's not forget the budget hotel—because who wouldn't want to stay in a hotel at a bustling market?
The Minister also mentioned the inclusion of cold rooms to prevent farmers' produce from going bad and facilities for value addition, such as drying vegetables and canning tomatoes.
While these ideas sound great on paper, the reality of implementing such a complex project in just six months seems overly optimistic, if not downright unrealistic.
So, will this grand plan for Mbare Traders' Market become a shining example of urban regeneration, or will it join the long list of ambitious projects that never quite materialise?
Only time will tell, but for now, it's safe to say that a healthy dose of scepticism is warranted.
