We were expecting the government to support us, but we haven’t received anything yet. I came back with a very small stock because I can’t afford to sit at home. My family needs food.

Another fire victim, Memory Chiguru, said the government only collected their details days after the fire, then disappeared, leaving them stranded. As a result, they had no choice but to turn to well-wishers for help.. She said:

Our names were taken down two days after the fire. They asked us about our families, dependents, and the value of the goods that were burnt.

But since then, no support has come our way. As for me personally, I took out a loan from the bank to restart my business. A few relatives helped me.

Farai Hokonya, Deputy Director of the Civil Protection Unit (CPU), told NewZimbabwe.com that government officials are scheduled to tour the new market this week and will provide an update at that time.

In the meantime, traders have raised concerns over the registration and allocation of vending stalls, particularly after a controversial list was released through a state-owned newspaper last month.

The list contained numerous errors, and there are allegations that it is heavily skewed in favour of ZANU PF supporters, many of whom were not affected by the October fire that devastated the market.

Denford Ngadziore, chairperson of the City of Harare’s Small and Medium Enterprise Committee, said that the responsibility to allocate vending spaces at the new Mbare Musika Market lies with the council, not the government.

Ngadziore further explained that while the new market is a joint project between the council and the government, it is the council’s responsibility to allocate spaces.

He stressed that any allocation by others would be illegal, and priority would be given to traders who lost goods in the fire last year.