THE Matabeleland Business Association (MBA) and the Bulawayo Youth Joint Resolution (BYJR) yesterday met management of a South African franchise up-market supermarket, Fruit and Veg City, which is expected to open an outlet in Bulawayo, to lobby it to employ local people.
Report by Staff Reporter
Fruit and Veg is expected to open a supermarket at Izizwe Zonke business complex at Bradfield comprising a butchery, grocery, bakery, coffee shop, general merchandise and fruit and vegetable departments.
Franchise co-director Adrain Fourbourn said the firm would officially open for business on Thursday and 72 people had since been recruited out of a required staff complement of 110 people. Fourbourn said they would now consider the issues raised by the two groups to ensure locals also benefited from the investment through jobs.
“So far we have received over 600 curriculum vitaes and we have recruited 72 workers on trainee contract terms. Our intention is to bring Bulawayo to its previous state of being a business hub,” he said.
MBA spokesperson Zakhele Ndebele said: “We are concerned that as you open business here, local people must be the first priority in terms of getting jobs. You can establish this through their identification particulars by checking for the prospective employees’ districts. Our youths here do hardly get jobs outside Matabeleland and we have noticed that we have to harness our jobs locally. We want people born in Matabeleland regardless of tribe to get jobs here.
“It is sad that Bulawayo people have all along been accommodating people from across the country at their expense while other regions remained rigid and considered people from their region when recruiting.”
BYJR representative Mqondisi Moyo said it was sad that many local youths did not get jobs when companies invested in the region.
