Maputo: Delays in construction of porches at Zimpeto wholesale market

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Maputo: Delays in construction of porches at Zimpeto wholesale market

1:08 CAT | 27 May 2021

Photo: O País

The erection of the first of the six roofed shelters for vendors at the Zimpeto Wholesale Market in Maputo, which was due to be delivered on 6 June, has been postponed. The council says the fact that the roof for the porch is being produced in South Africa has contributed to the delay.

So far, it is only possible to see profile pillars and half a dozen workers representing the estimated 29,761,212.97 meticais provided by the Municipality of Maputo.

A notice at the site says the work would take eight months, beginning on October 6, 2020. It should therefore be delivered on June 6, 2021 – under two weeks hence – but the first porch, corresponding to the initial phase, is yet to arrive.

Salespeople will be severely impacted by the delay, Amadeu Magaia, head of the market’s potato division, said.

“We, as salespeople here in the market, saw the implementation of the work, but we do not know when we will take possession and resume our activities [there],” Magaia says. “Our work is being carried out like this, as you can see. We are not well organised, due to our removal from there. Here, we had to fend for ourselves, so each seller looks for a place and fits his or her truck in there,” he outlined.

At the beginning of last year, Maputo municipality, under the leadership of Eneas Comiche, initiated the restructuring of most of the city markets, and Zimpeto was no exception.

The actions were also aimed at creating conditions for the prevention of Covid-19, but vendors still risk contamination because they do not follow protocol and ignore the social distancing rules laid down to deal with the pandemic.

One saleswoman, speaking to ‘O País’ anonymously, described the situation in the Zimpeto wholesale market.

“We are like this, [not] preventing, as you can see. We work in terrible conditions. Everyone is jammed together in the same place. It’s a risk, but we have no alternative. We have to work,” she complained.

Councillor for the Development of Local Economy, Danube Side, explained that delays in the production of roofing sheets in South Africa was retarding the work, and promised to give more details later this week.

By Amandio Borges

Source: O País