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Businessman picks up the pieces after Zanu PF harassment

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HARARE businessman, Alex Mashamhanda has commenced construction of a service station in Mbare after years of frustration by Zanu PF activists fronted by terror group, Chipangano.

HARARE businessman, Alex Mashamhanda has commenced construction of a service station in Mbare after years of frustration by Zanu PF activists fronted by terror group, Chipangano.

BY MUNESU NYAKUDYA

Mashwede Holdings managing director, Tendai Mashamhanda showing the progress made at the service station under construction in Mbare on Friday
Mashwede Holdings managing director, Tendai Mashamhanda showing the progress made at the service station under construction in Mbare on Friday

For years, Mashamhanda was engaged in running battles with ruling party activists, who claimed the businessman was aligned to the MDC-T, a tag that was used to bar him from operating a business in Harare’s oldest suburb.

Mashamhanda on Friday confirmed construction had commenced, describing his battle with Chipangano as a “misunderstanding”.

“We have started the construction of the service station. We had a misunderstanding, which was resolved a long time ago because we own the place,” he said.

“The only reason that delayed the construction of the service station was because of financial constraints, otherwise the construction would have been done a long time ago.”

Mashamhanda could not be drawn into a detailed discussion on how the “misunderstanding had been resolved”.

“We are businesspeople and we do not dig into the past, which might affect our business,” he said. “What we want right now is to be in good books with the authorities, so that we can survive as a business.

“We are building in phases and by end of January, the service station will be operational. By February, we intend to build a kiosk and a supermarket that will be run by the professionals in the retail sector.” Through Mashwede Holdings, which has several subsidiaries in auto-electrical, educational suppliers and commodity broking, Mashamhanda said they were expanding. Chipangano is a group of rogue and often-violent Zanu PF activists based in Mbare.