Monday, June 9, 2025
No Result
View All Result
News Report  Zimbabwe
  • News that Matters
    • News
    • Health and Diseases
    • Technology
    • Religion
    • Horror and Disaster
    • Elections 2023
  • Crime and Courts
  • Celebrity
  • Sports
  • Mjolo
  • Breaking News
  • News that Matters
    • News
    • Health and Diseases
    • Technology
    • Religion
    • Horror and Disaster
    • Elections 2023
  • Crime and Courts
  • Celebrity
  • Sports
  • Mjolo
  • Breaking News
No Result
View All Result
News Report  Zimbabwe
No Result
View All Result
Home Business

Illegal night economy…Vendors, night buses drive Bulawayo’s after-dark activities

December 24, 2024
0
Illegal night economy…Vendors, night buses drive Bulawayo’s after-dark activities

AS soon as Bulawayo City Council municipal officers — the enforcers of the city’s by-laws regarding parking, and the picking up and dropping off of passengers — finish their duties for the day, lawlessness in the City of Kings shifts into high gear.

A full of life scene unfolds at the corner of Fort Street and Leopold Takawira Avenue as a large public bus, operated by one of the country’s major transport companies, pulls up to the curb.

Passengers eager to travel to Harare begin to board the vehicle. Just a short distance away, on the opposite side of Fort Street, another bus is attracting passengers. Located near the iconic Tredgold Building, this brightly coloured 75-seater bus is ready to embark on its journey.

Even though it’s only 5.30pm on a Thursday afternoon, the area surrounding Tredgold Building is already transforming into a busy food market. Vendors are setting up their stalls, offering a diverse range of meals, from traditional Zimbabwean cuisine to international fast food. This culinary spectacle is primarily driven by the influx of night bus passengers, who rely on these vendors for sustenance during their long journeys.

As the sun sets, a different and illicit night economy takes shape on Fort Street. Vendors, capitalising on the demand from night bus passengers, set up their stalls and engage in informal transactions, often involving US dollars. This underground economy operates outside the regulatory framework of the Bulawayo City Council.

“On average, I sell about 50 takeaway food packages on a single night, and the majority of my customers are divided between passengers boarding the Harare buses and taxi drivers,” said Marylene Sibanda, a food vendor who sells isitshwala, rice, beef and chicken.

Business is brisk around 7pm when the second or third long-distance bus parks at the illegal rank that is popular among passengers travelling to the capital city at night, she says. Each takeaway costs US$1.

“Most people prefer the buses that leave for Harare between 7pm and 9PM, and that is during that time when business is good,” she said.

For someone who doesn’t pay rent or any other utility bills that registered food outlets pay in the formal sector, making a gross total of US$50 per night cannot be considered bad business for the middle-aged woman.

Cold drink vendors can also be seen milling around the long-distance buses, hoping for a thirsty passenger to stick their head out of the bus windows and make a purchase. Vendors are seldom allowed into the buses, even when they are stationary. The other commodity that sells like hot cakes, riding on the back of “dollar deals,” is airtime. An airtime vendor who only identified himself as Mbuso doubles up as a money changer — the individuals who sell and buy foreign currency at premium rates.

The night economy at Tredgold has also given a lifeline to taxi drivers who bring passengers to the long-distance buses or anyone looking for convenient and quick transport in and around the city. The irony of the booming business at Tredgold is that some of it, especially the illegal kind, is conducted right in front of the building where transgressors of the law are reprimanded or punished.

On the other side of the street, at the corner of Leopold Takawira Avenue and Herbert Chitepo, one man has close to 100 pairs of sneakers lined up on the pavement. He sells his merchandise right in front of what used to be a building that housed Edgars, the clothing retailer who deserted the building after complaining that competition from unlicensed clothes vendors was pushing the giant retailer out of business. The sneakers cost between US$10 and US$30.

After Edgars vacated the building, it was taken over by numerous small shopowners selling a variety of items, including cell phones, clothes, and kitchenware. The long-distance buses that operate overnight on the Bulawayo/Harare route have been flagged by the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) as operating illegally, as the location is not an authorised bus terminus. The BCC has not yet responded to questions sent to the municipality’s communication and public relations department.

Overnight travel has become a lucrative business for bus companies, and the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) is also looking to capitalise on this market. The NRZ is working on resurrecting its passenger coaches following a complete overhaul of its railway network, which is currently in a poor state.

“We suspended our passenger coaches for operational reasons as it was no longer profitable. NRZ is working on revising passenger coaches operations but that can only be done when the freight services is profitable to a point that we can subsidise passenger coaches,” said NRZ public affairs and stakeholder relations manager, Mr Andrew Kunambura

Passenger services are currently suspended due to financial constraints and the poor condition of the existing coaches. According to Section 37 of the Railway Act, passenger services are supposed to be subsidised by the Government, as they are more of a social service than a business venture.

Mr Kunambura stated that once the NRZ addresses the freight side of its business and ensures it runs profitably, the company will be able to efficiently run passenger trains, subsidising the operations as part of their corporate social responsibility.

Earlier this year, NRZ general manager, Miss Respina Zinyanduko, mentioned that the parastatal aims to emulate the rail and port authority of Mozambique, CFM Mozambique, which provides a 90 percent subsidy to its passenger service.

Commenting on the illegal activities that occur at night around the Tredgold area, Bulawayo United Residents’ Association Chairman Mr Winos Dube said there is a need for the BCC to introduce a night shift for its municipal security department.

“People engage in all sorts of illegal activities at night around the Tredgold area taking advantage of the fact that BCC officers will have knocked off. At this rate, Bulawayo will turn into a slum as a result of people breaking the law by selling food everywhere and buses picking up and dropping off passengers at every street corner,” said Mr Dube.

Related Posts

ZEP Holders Breathe a Sigh of Relief as SCA Rules in Their Favor

ZEP Holders Breathe a Sigh of Relief as SCA Rules in Their Favor

by Nyathi
June 7, 2025
0

In a landmark judgment, South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has dismissed an appeal by the Minister of Home...

OK Zimbabwe Shutters Two Upmarket Branches Amid Economic Challenges

OK Zimbabwe Shutters Two Upmarket Branches Amid Economic Challenges

by Nyathi
June 5, 2025
0

Retail giant OK Zimbabwe has announced the closure of its premium Food Lover's Market outlets in Borrowdale and Avondale, Harare,...

Railway Safety Under Scrutiny

Railway Safety Under Scrutiny

by Nyathi
May 28, 2025
0

A recent collision involving a luxury tourist train near Gwanda has raised fresh concerns about safety on Zimbabwe's ageing railway...

Nembudziya Community Rises Up Against Exorbitant Rate Hikes

Nembudziya Community Rises Up Against Exorbitant Rate Hikes

by Nyathi
May 27, 2025
0

  In a bold move, business owners, church organizations, and residents of Nembudziya Growth Point have joined forces to protest...

South Africa Relaxes Black Ownership Rules

South Africa Relaxes Black Ownership Rules

by Nyathi
May 24, 2025
0

South Africa's government is planning to ease its Black ownership laws in the telecoms sector to accommodate Elon Musk's Starlink...

Thrilling Developments-IPEC Cracks Whip on Defaulting Employers

Thrilling Developments-IPEC Cracks Whip on Defaulting Employers

by Nyathi
May 24, 2025
0

In a shocking turn of events, employers who can't be bothered to pay their employees' pension contributions are suddenly finding...

Please login to join discussion

Trending News Today

  • Two Zimbabwean Care Home Workers in the UK attacked, one killed

    Two Zimbabwean Care Home Workers in the UK attacked, one killed

    161 shares
    Share 64 Tweet 40
  • ZEP Holders Breathe a Sigh of Relief as SCA Rules in Their Favor

    152 shares
    Share 61 Tweet 38
  • Sangoma Turns to Lion Snack

    159 shares
    Share 64 Tweet 40
  • Its Open Season for Witch Hunters ‘Tsikamutandas’ – TMPC, Police Join Forces

    69 shares
    Share 28 Tweet 17
  • Love Triangle Gone Wrong: Ex-Minister Almost Loses Life in Jealous Rage

    22 shares
    Share 9 Tweet 6
  • Widow Caught in Bed With Lover a Week After Burying Husband

    204 shares
    Share 82 Tweet 51
  • Taraji P. Henson Steals the Show in Tyler Perry’s Netflix Drama “Straw”

    19 shares
    Share 8 Tweet 5
  • GOVERNMENT BANS DEADLY MUSOMBODHIYA BREW

    18 shares
    Share 7 Tweet 5
  • Man Almost Killed Over Booze Refusal

    18 shares
    Share 7 Tweet 5
  • Teenager Convicted for Falsely Accusing a Man of Rape

    55 shares
    Share 22 Tweet 14

Popular This Week

  • Widow Caught in Bed With Lover a Week After Burying Husband

    Widow Caught in Bed With Lover a Week After Burying Husband

    204 shares
    Share 82 Tweet 51
  • Two Zimbabwean Care Home Workers in the UK attacked, one killed

    161 shares
    Share 64 Tweet 40
  • Sangoma Turns to Lion Snack

    159 shares
    Share 64 Tweet 40
  • ZEP Holders Breathe a Sigh of Relief as SCA Rules in Their Favor

    152 shares
    Share 61 Tweet 38
  • The Turbulent Life of President Mnangagwa: A Story of Helicopters, Close Calls, and Air Force Angst

    143 shares
    Share 57 Tweet 36
  • Pastor’s Pulpit Shame- Church Leader Caught in Love Triangle

    143 shares
    Share 57 Tweet 36
  • Fatal Dog Attack Exposes Mike Mupinga’s Troubling Past

    277 shares
    Share 111 Tweet 69
  • COVID-19 Variant Alert: WHO Urges Global Vigilance

    116 shares
    Share 46 Tweet 29
  • The Fake Doc- “Take Lacto And Fruits Three Times a Day”

    114 shares
    Share 46 Tweet 29
  • Serial South African Killer Escapes To Zimbabwe

    112 shares
    Share 45 Tweet 28

Popular This Month

  • How to Legally Avoid Paying the US$92 ZBC Radio Licence Fee in Zimbabwe

    How to Legally Avoid Paying the US$92 ZBC Radio Licence Fee in Zimbabwe

    604 shares
    Share 242 Tweet 151
  • Bulawayo Police Bust Vuzu Party, Arrest 13 Youths

    325 shares
    Share 130 Tweet 81
  • Unhealed Wounds-Remembering the 21 Mothers of Emkhonyeni Who Were Burnt Alive

    315 shares
    Share 126 Tweet 79
  • Fatal Dog Attack Exposes Mike Mupinga’s Troubling Past

    277 shares
    Share 111 Tweet 69
  • Apostle Eunor Guti Declines Wicknell Chivayo’s Lavish Gift

    274 shares
    Share 110 Tweet 69
  • Loophole or Legal Gymnastics? Zimbabwean Schools Find Ways Around Fee Payment Rule

    248 shares
    Share 99 Tweet 62
  • The Despicable Scam at Zimbabwe’s Hospitals; Its Business Nothing Personal.

    241 shares
    Share 96 Tweet 60
  • New ‘ lobola’ Fees for Foreigners Seeking Medical Care in Gauteng

    241 shares
    Share 96 Tweet 60
  • Philanthropy or Publicity Stunt? Wicknell Chivayo’s Lavish Gift to Jah Prayzah’s Team

    213 shares
    Share 85 Tweet 53
  • Hospital Investigates Disappearance of Infant’s Body

    205 shares
    Share 82 Tweet 51

Most Read Stories

  • “Zimbabwe Is Discrediting SADC”

    ZANU PF Accused Of Bribing SADC Elders To Retain From Losing Power

    5239 shares
    Share 2096 Tweet 1310
  • Madzibaba gets Toyota Aqua after explaining new currency ZiG to church

    4533 shares
    Share 1813 Tweet 1133
  • Breaking News: Zimbabwe launches New Currency (Zig)

    4279 shares
    Share 1712 Tweet 1070
  • Guide : How to access 2023 Zimsec Ordinary O Level results online

    3973 shares
    Share 1589 Tweet 993
  • Uganda Police Officer Shoots Wife Dead After Mocking Him Over Man-U Loss

    3894 shares
    Share 1558 Tweet 974
  • Floods hit Gweru

    3593 shares
    Share 1437 Tweet 898
  • Mashura pa Gokwe musi wa 12.02.24

    3544 shares
    Share 1418 Tweet 886
  • Secret message for ED after his inauguration

    3481 shares
    Share 1392 Tweet 870
  • Heatwave Warning:Expect Extremely hot temp ranging from 36° to 41° until 12 March

    3394 shares
    Share 1358 Tweet 849
  • Here is the reckless Kombi Driver!!!!!!!!!!! See pics here

    3218 shares
    Share 1287 Tweet 805

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • FAQ
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Home

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • News that Matters
    • News
    • Health and Diseases
    • Technology
    • Religion
    • Horror and Disaster
    • Elections 2023
  • Crime and Courts
  • Celebrity
  • Sports
  • Mjolo
  • Breaking News