Glenview North MP Criticises Govt For "Neglecting" Glenview 8 Furniture Complex
Glen View North MP, Fani Munengami (MDC Alliance) has castigated the government for allegedly failing to address recurring fires at Glen View Area 8 Furniture Complex.
The complex was established in 2000 by the government and accommodates small to medium enterprises.
Furniture worth thousands of dollars has been lost in the fires and a suspected electrical fault ignited an inferno on 7 September 2022.
Speaking in Parliament recently, Munengami said that if the root cause of the Glenview 8 Furniture Complex fires is not addressed, lives could be lost. He said:
I stand up with a burning issue which I believe if it is not resolved, might end up in the loss of lives.
Every year in Glen View Area 8, at the Home Industries where a lot of furniture is manufactured, there are fire outbreaks.
Nothing has been done so far by Government to intervene so that fires are prevented.
As I am speaking, 80% of the complex was razed down.
We are grateful that there was no loss of life but Glen View Area 8 residents and other people who work in that area are not able to work at the moment.
On Sunday, 09 October 2022, another devastating fire engulfed the complex and destroyed property worth thousands of dollars.
Munengami expressed disappointment that the Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small And Medium Enterprises Development, Sithembiso Nyoni, failed to visit the complex in the aftermath of the fire that broke out last month. He said:
I spoke to the Minister of Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to come and inspect Glen View Area 8 before we have a national disaster because there is a service station next to the complex.
Every year there are fire outbreaks but we do not know whether it is arson or what, but we know that there are cotton sacks, planks, wood shavings and other things which are highly flammable.
If this is left unattended, one day we will end up losing lives.
So my request is that the Minister of SMEs should visit the complex and other stakeholders.
However, the Hon. Minister is not visiting the complex. We do not know how we can be helped with this issue.
