BULAWAYO town clerk, Christopher Dube, has pleaded with closed factory owners to enter into joint ventures with new investors and reopen their businesses for the good of the city.
BY MTHANDAZO NYONI
Speaking at a consultative meeting with the media on Friday, Dube said Bulawayo’s economic prospects might be turned around if closed factory owners in the city formed joint ventures with new investors.
“As you are aware, Bulawayo has been designated a special economic zone (SEZ) and government is pushing for the implementation of the concept,” Dube said.
“These closed industries, while of course we have got areas that are designated for special economic zones, it’s also an option to say they can be used for new businesses, but our plea here is that the factory owners should cooperate with new investors and have joint ventures.”
Dube pleaded with the business to offer new investors affordable rates.
“We have a bad business culture. You will see if the investors come, the expectations of these closed factories will be out of this world and they scare off the investors,” he said.
“It doesn’t help us to have these properties lying idle, it’s better to get something for yourself, for your property which is not being utilised now. This will, in turn, provide employment for the generality of the people of Bulawayo.”
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Currently, church organisations have converted many company premises into halls of worship as efforts to revive the city’s industry have failed.
More than 20 000 workers have been left jobless in Bulawayo over the past few years after over 100 firms, mostly in the manufacturing, textile and clothing sectors, closed down.
Many large companies that formed the backbone of the city’s industry have either closed shop, liquidated or have been placed under judicial management.
These include Merlin, David Whitehead Limited, Textile Mills, Belmore Manufacturers and Ascot Clothing, National Blankets and Security Mills, while Cold Storage Company, National Railways of Zimbabwe, Dunlop Zimbabwe and Archer Clothing have down-sized.
