What are the new businesses being established in the small towns of Zimbabwe? As the last blog has illustrated our long-term study of Mvurwi, Chatsworth and Maphisa shows a variety of changes, with different drivers associated. There are varying links too with a changing agriculture, but what is evident across our study sites is that land reform has shifted the spatial pattern of economic activity in the countryside, with major impacts for small towns.
The last blog highlighted the changes across a variety of enterprises seen in the three towns (see table), exploring the wider drivers of change. Here, we focus on the businesses themselves, asking who is involved, why and how were they established and what are their fortunes. We do this across five categories and explore the dynamics through some focused case studies based on interviews carried out in late 2024.
This blog is divided into two halves because of length, with the first section offering an overview and the second section including edited transcripts of a sample (of many) interviews with businesspeople to offer greater depth and flavour.
Retail businesses (supermarkets, hardware, dealership, grocery stories, vendors, butcheries)
Across our sites retail businesses have continued to expand. These range from established operations such as supermarkets to more informal businesses, such as vendors, small hardware sales points and so on. Different themes emerge from our case studies of retail businesses. There is much mobility in retail businesses, locations change, businesses change and, given the challenges of doing any business in Zimbabwe, survival requires much innovation. Basic constraints hinder the ability of businesses to thrive, whether lack of water or electricity or high transport costs (case 1). The way retail business is tied into agriculture and particularly demand from A1 farmers is highlighted, contrasting significantly with reliance on farmworkers or civil servants in the past. The high seasonality of demand is emphasised especially in Mvurwi because of the tobacco season injecting cash temporarily into the local economy (cases 2 and 3). Financing of businesses has been important for some, and the growth of micro-loan companies is a feature of growth of small towns, especially Mvurwi (case 3). Upgrading to a larger business is however challenging, but the last case here from Maphisa shows how incremental expansion – often through diversification from, in this case, clothing to bottle stores to transport – is possible, resulting in increasing employment possibilities, growing from one to 18 over 20 years (case 4).
Service businesses (hair salon, teaching, carpenters, welders, airtime sellers, finance, education, tillage)
Land reform (and mining) not only generates demand for consumption goods, as with the retail businesses discussed above, but also for services. The table from the previous blog highlights a significant growth in service-based businesses across the towns. These include the massive growth of privately-funded schools (from nurseries to secondary schools), the increase in health care options (from private pharmacies to X-ray facilities to doctors and even small hospitals) and the increase in businesses such as hair salons, tailors and so on servicing local demand. A number of services are directly linked to agriculture, including tractor and transport services and repairs (case 5), as well as micro-finance. Others are linked to farm areas such as improving building stock through providing building or glazing services (case 6). There are also services associated with hotels/restaurants as well as transport, all of which facilitate the linkages between small towns and agricultural and mining areas (see cases 8 and 11-14). A number of these new service businesses are responding to the failure of state provision (notably in health and education, see case 7), while others are promoting ‘luxury’ services such as hair salons and nail bars that might not have been seen in such towns before and without the growth of agriculture or mining-based incomes.
Transport businesses (minivans, petrol station, repair garage, mechanics)
There are many examples of transport businesses across our sites. As discussed in the previous blogs and some of the case studies, transport is a key cost in marketing and rising costs can seriously undermine businesses. Moving people and products from and to resettlement areas and small towns is vital for fostering the economic linkages that are so important both to farmers and the businesses along the various value chains. As the table in the previous blog shows, petrol stations have been established but their fate as businesses is variable given the variation in cost and availability of fuel over this period. Minibuses and small taxis were the mainstay of transport in these areas in the early years after land reform (complemented in the case of Chatsworth by the train), but this has changed as more bus routes have been established squeezing out the minibus/taxi option. This reflects the growing stability of the transport connections between larger cities, small towns and rural areas and the improvement (in some cases) of road conditions. Truck transport is important in all sites, both for moving agricultural products and for mining, as well as moving building materials, including sand (cases 5 and 8)
Real estate business (buying stands, builders, bricks/sand)
As already discussed, the growth of small towns (perhaps with the exception of Chatsworth, but certainly Mpandawana also in Gutu) has been significant over the last 25 years. This has been driven in part by demand from farmers who have surplus income to invest (see next blog), alongside miners who have sudden riches. The growth of high-density stands in all our sites highlights this. Some are even upgrading to medium- and low-density stands over time. The growth of housing generates demand for building services, including building window and door frames and glazing (see case 6). In addition to domestic houses, there has been a growth of commercial properties in designated areas (see the cases 9 and 10 from Maphisa below, one an early pioneer), as well as informal arrangements where domestic homes are converted for retail shops, schools and so on.
Food, entertainment and accommodation businesses (bottle stores, food sellers, restaurants, hotels, guest houses)
Small towns have transformed from centres providing limited goods with a few shops and a bottle store or two to farmworkers along with some farm supplies for white farmers to buzzing commercial hubs with diverse businesses, all linked to farms and mines nearby. Today, there is a demand for services linked to bars, restaurants and accommodation, and sometimes even ‘night clubs’ (case 12). Many food suppliers are able to link their businesses to farms, either their own or relatives’ (case 14), and some improve the houses they build on new stands to create small hotels and guest houses. As the table in the previous blog shows, these types of businesses have grown significantly. Unlike when we started working in these areas in the early 2000s, it’s much easier to find places to stay and eat than in the past.
In sum, there is much more ‘business’ going on in small towns across Zimbabwe than sometimes assumed. Much of this is small-scale and informal and businesses change quite rapidly. In small towns embedded in agriculture and mining areas, this business is driven by farming and mining, but it also serves civil servants and others. Conventional metrics of business (even ‘small and medium scale enterprises’) often do not count such businesses, underestimating the economic vigour of some emerging urban areas in Zimbabwe. This distorts our understanding of the economic dynamics of the country and the associated economic geography. Compared to 25 years ago, there are many new businesses in different places doing different things. These are providing goods and services under difficult economic policy conditions, but the prospects for growth (measured in new ways) are very real. But to assess this realistically we must shift our focus from large towns and metropolitan centres to small towns in rural areas and from formal businesses to networks of informal enterprises that exist in large numbers generating incomes and employment largely below the radar.
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Case studies: Businesses in small towns
Below is a selection of 14 cases from interviews carried out across our three small town sites from which the reflections above are derived. They are a small, illustrative sample of many such interviews, but together they show the variety of strategies employed to generate business – over time, across different people (men and women), and with links to farming and land reform areas often central.
Retail
Case 1: Chatsworth
I was born in 2004 in Zaka but grew up in Thornhill farm where my parents are A1 farmers. After completing form 4 in 2021, I then got married and now live in Chatsworth with my husband. My husband who buys and sells cosmetics gave me some money to set up a vegetable stall in July 2024. I buy and sell cabbages, tomatoes, onions and bananas. I source bananas, cabbages and onions from Masvingo. These days, because of lack of water, there are few farmers in the surrounding farms who are engaging in horticulture. I used to get vegetable supplies from Bath farm, but these days there is nothing due to lack of water. Getting supplies in Masvingo is expensive because of transport costs. I pay US$8 for a return trip to Masvingo. Transport costs thus eat into my profits. I go to buy my orders in Masvingo three times a month. My husband has also set up a cosmetic tuck-shop from me.
Case 2: Mvurwi
I was born in 1971 in Guruve. I buy and sell Chinese products. I used to work as a truck driver at J and J in Harare. In 2007, I set up a tuck-shop business in Norton, where I was living at the time, using income from my salary. At this time, shops were empty and I took advantage of this situation. I was buying groceries in Musina and Zambia. In 2011, I then retired from my job to focus on the business. However, in 2013, I got divorced from my wife and moved to Mvurwi. Upon arrival, I set up a new retail shop at the Rank. From 2013 to 2015, I was mainly selling groceries. In 2015, I realised that there was a lot of competition and switched to selling Chinese products. In fact, I am the pioneer in selling Chinese products here, and all these people who you see selling Chinese products followed me later. I get my supplies from Harare. On average, a total of 300 people walk through the door every day. In 2018, I managed to buy a stand and build a house in Mvurwi using proceeds from the business. I moved to Mvurwi after a fall out with my wife. However, in terms of business, the dynamics here are similar to Norton. Just like Norton, Mvurwi is surrounded by former commercial farms. Before land reform, the main clients/customers for business in places like Mvurwi and Norton were farmworkers and a few people that were employed in town. The white people would bring their workers in tractor trailers for shopping during month-end. In Mvurwi, businesses also used to get customers from nearby mines such as Impinge mine and Zimasco. During this period, businesses relied on farm workers and mine workers as customers. So, land reform affected business in the early days. Post-land reform, things have changed significantly. My main customers are farmers in resettlement areas, especially A1 farmers. In the past, we used to diarise the civil servants’ pay dates, especially for teachers, and we would stock a lot of stuff for sale. All is gone noe. Teachers are the lowest spenders these days. These days you won’t see the changes if they have received their pay. You can’t tell whether its teachers’ pay dates or not. Our sales decline massively after tobacco sales. In other words, sales are seasonal here. From March to July, money will be circulating and my business picks up nicely because it will be tobacco marketing season. In August, our sales take a nosedive because people will be doing land preparations and buying inputs, which requires capital. In the past 3 years or so, from August to September, farmers would be selling maize after tobacco. Again, this is all gone. Farmers no longer engage in maize production because of low prices offered for maize. In fact, maize production and sales have significantly declined over the years. In October, farmers will be starting to plant their seeds again, so the sales remain low. In November and December, sales will start to peak slowly. In January, sales begin to increase again, in part because of ‘back to school’. In February, the sales further increase because contract farmers would have received some money to pay for labour during harvest. Farmworkers from the remaining large-scale farms are also our important customers, especially from Forester. Of late, the chrome miners are also important customers.
Case 3: Mvurwi
In 2000, I decided to engage in petty trading of small items such as wallets, watches, buttons and belts at the roadside market. Capital to establish the business was derived from the part-time job as a secretary at Mvurwi primary school. In some cases, I take loans from local micro-finance companies who extend credit to small-scale business owners to boost the business. In the past, there were very few micro-finance companies in Mvurwi, and they were only extending loans to civil servants. The micro-finance companies that were extending loans to small businesses were only found in Glendale, and you would have to travel to Glendale should you require a loan. But now there are lots of them here. I do not have a farm. I am also not engaging in farming as I do not have the time. At the time (early 2000s), I would spread mats on the floor and display our items, so that people could buy. In 2004, I then moved to “kwaOma” market at the Rank (bus terminus), where I rented a small shop until 2010. Due to inflation, the business slowed down such that I nearly closed down the business. The inflation period was bad. You would go to buy an item at Mbare for ZW$4, by the time you come back to sell it would be worth ZW$3. It was very tight. However, the economy stabilized during the GNU and the business grew slowly over time. During this period, I switched to selling clothes. But the business was not really firing. I moved to a flea market at Mzansi building in the city centre. There were 13 market stalls in the building. In 2014, I then moved out of the building and rented a shop, where I am still operating from today. I share the shop with someone who is offering printing and photocopying services. I sell clothes, including school uniforms. I source these products at Mbare in Harare. Before land reform, people who had businesses in Mvurwi told me that customers were very few. The main customers were farm workers who worked for white farmers. In addition, they had little money at their disposal because their salaries were very low. So business was not that good. But land reform has expanded our client base. This is mainly because of tobacco production. Today, my client base consists of farmers (mainly A1), civil servants, private employees (mainly tobacco companies), informal traders and farm workers (especially from Forester). Our sales reach its peak when farmers are selling their tobacco crop. Mvurwi is located in the centre of Mashonaland central province and now has many tobacco auction floors. Farmers from Muzarabani, Guruve, Centenary, St Albert, Mazowe and Mutorashanga all sell their tobacco crop here because that’s where there are tobacco auction floors. A1 farmers spend their monies locally and they usually travel as a family when they sell their crop, and buy a lot of our products. By contrast, A2 farmers spend their tobacco proceeds in Harare, just like the white farmers used to do. White farmers with their families used to fly to distant places where they would spend their income from farming. Like the former white farmers, only A2 farmers’ workers does their shop here. It’s very rare for A2 farmers to come and buy here. I would say that of all the farmers that buy from us, 90% are smallholder farmers from A1 farms and communal areas. Civil servants only buy if it’s month-end. But, in general, they do not buy that much. In most cases, they buy clothes when there is need. Farmworkers, such as from Forester farm and Siza mine come on a payday in tractors and lorries for shopping in Mvurwi, but they mainly buy groceries in supermarkets such as Golly’s. Such people are employed by white farmers and the Chinese. They come in lorries and tractor trailers. Here, business is very seasonal. During tobacco sales, I get enough money to sustain my family and all my products in stock will be sold out to the extent that there will be nothing in the shop. My sales reach a peak when farmers sell their tobacco. There is good business when the farmers sell their tobacco. During this period, cash will be circulating. Through this business, I have been able to send my children to school and also to build a house in Rusununguko residential area.
Case 4: Maphisa
I was born in 1978 in Hwange and grew up there. In 1998, I then came to Maphisa as an employee for Power Sales, a clothing outlet. This when I saw an opportunity to open up a clothing shop. In 2003, I took the decision to resign from my job as a salesman at Power Sales and used my earnings and loans from AgriBank and ZimBank to set up a clothing shop. I started very small, and the business grew slowly. After 2 or 3 years, I applied for commercial stand from rural council and built a shop. By then, there were very few shops around here. I then named the shop Diggers’ Paradise, because Maphisa is a hub for gold panners. Using proceeds from the clothing shop, I built two houses in Mafuyane township. In 2008, I invested in a fleet of kombis and set up a transport business. At one point, I had 7 kombis, but I sold three due to COVID. Besides the clothing shop business, I am also running a furniture shop and a bottle. When I started the clothing business, I used to go and hoard clothes in two ‘Changane’ bags, but now the business has since expanded. I source the clothes in South Africa, Zambia and Tanzania. Across all my businesses, I employ 18 people. In the both the clothing business and bottle store, my main customers are miners, followed by the formally employed people (e.g., ARDA workers, civil servants) and the local people in surrounding communal areas, who receive remittances from their relatives in diaspora.
Services
Case 5: Mvurwi
I was born in Kachuta in Guruve in 1993. My parents passed away when I was young. I was raised by my grandmother (mother’s mother). I attended school until grade 6. I came to Mvurwi in 2014. I found a job as a herd boy at Eastwood farm, where I worked for an A2 farmer. The farm owner later taught me how to operate a tractor. Unfortunately, in 2018, he then passed away. The farm was then taken over by his children. Following his death, I continued working at the farm for a year but decided to quit because of low wages. I then found another job as a tractor driver at the neighbouring A2 farm. While working at this A2 farm, I entered into a partnership with a neighbouring farmer and took up tobacco farming. We farmed together for a year. In 2017, I then rented 3ha of land from an A2 farmer for US$200 per ha, and grew tobacco and maize independently. In 2022, the A2 farmer evicted me because he saw that I was becoming successful and he got jealous. In 2020, I harvested 60 bales of tobacco and got around US$15000 from the sales. Using tobacco proceeds, I bought a stand for US$6000 in Kurai and a tractor for US$4000. In the same year, I moved permanently to Mvurwi where I now provide transport services (to transport sand). In 2024, I then joined the chrome rush in the Great Dyke. I have 8 workers who are working for me at the chrome mine. We are doing alluvial chrome mining. Initially, I was hired by someone to transport the chrome alluvial to the river for processes. Through this, I then managed to raise capital to engage in chrome mining too. We sell the chrome at US$95 per tonne, and pay each worker US$100 per tonne. I am using proceeds from mining to build my house in Kurai. Chrome mining in the Great Dyke has enabled me to build my house. When I bought it in 2020, I only managed to put ‘footing’ only. Thanks to transport and mining, I have managed to build my house.
Case 6: Mvurwi
I was born in 1980 in Mvurwi, where my father was working as a ‘garden boy’ for a former white farmer ‘kumaYard’ (low density) and grew up in Guruve. In 2003, after completing Form 4, I returned to Mvurwi, where I worked as a security guard until 2004, and then later as a general hand for Fickedge hardware from 2005 until 2011, when the company went bankrupt. At the time, the company owed us three months of salary. After taking the company to court, we were then paid our salaries. Using this money, I then teamed up with my former manager at the hardware, and set up a mini-hardware, specializing in glazing, both fix and supply. However, after a few years, we then went separate ways. In 2014, I then team up with my younger brother who had been working in South Africa, and continued the business. Currently, we have 5 permanent workers. Our main business is glazing, although we also sell window and door frames, as well as window seals, air vents and doors. We source all this in Harare. Our main customers are farmers, especially tobacco farmers, followed by miners (makorokoza). These are our best customers because they do impulse buying, and do not bargain over prices. Our sales are seasonal. From March to end of June, our sales are high during this period because of tobacco marketing. In the past, the sales would then decline afterwards. But these days, because of chrome mining, they remain relatively higher.
Case 7: Chatsworth
I was born in 1971 and grew up in Chatsworth. Originally from Maranda in Zimuto, my father used to work here. I completed ‘A’ level in 1991, but did not continue with studies. Since then, I have been doing temporary teaching, and have gained a lot of experience. In 2017, I teamed up with three partners and established a private college in Chatsworth. We had studied the area and realised that there were a lot of adults in Chatsworth and surrounding farms passed two ‘O’ level subjects, and who were looking to retake the subjects they had failed, especially core subjects: Maths, English and Science. We wanted to cater for those people. We then approached the Ministry of Education for an operating license, and we rented a space at the Seventh Day Adventist Church. We had visited teachers from surrounding boarding schools, such as Serima, Rufaro and Gutu High Schools. Our ‘catchment’ area included surrounding resettlement areas and Chiriga in the communal areas. However, one of the partners secretly changed the ownership of the college into his sole name. As a result, we abandoned the partnership and the college was dissolved. In 2018, I then teamed up with M who was a doing his teaching course at Masvingo Teachers’ College at the time and resuscitated the college. However, this time we did it informally – without registering the college. Initially, we operated from Agritex offices. Unfortunately, COVID came and our teaching activities were brought to a halt. After COVID, we then started to operate from our homes. Today, we have 60 students who are doing extra lessons or retaking subjects in ‘O’ and ‘A’ level. Because of high pass rates for our students, we have earned a good reputation. As a result, we now have students coming from faraway places, taking lessons with us. Some who are even studying at surrounding boarding schools also enrol with us for extra lessons. We do not limit ourselves to cash only as a medium of payment. We also accept maize, chickens, turkeys and so on as a form of payment. After expenses, we make a profit of around $1000 each. Around 50% of our turnover comes from students from land reform areas.
Transport
Case 8: Chatsworth
I was born in Chatsworth in 2000 and grew up here. My father was a welder and A1 farmer in Lonely 3. He also had two trucks which he used to hire out to others. I completed form 4 in 2018, and did a Class 2 driving course in 2022. When my father passed away in 2023, I inherited the transport business. I have since purchased another truck (7.5 tonne) for US$15 000 from a UK-based man who imports trucks from the UK. I am hired by people to transport river and pit sand for people. My main customers are civil servants, self-employed people and outside investors who are building houses in Chatsworth. At the moment, I do not have any farmers who are my clients. My father used to have farmers who would hire him to transport agricultural produce to Gutu Mupandawana town, but the past two seasons have been drought years. Besides offering transport, services I also sell cement and mould and sell cement bricks. I have two permanent workers, but I sometimes hire casual labour for loading.
Real estate
Case 9: Maphisa
I was born in Plumtree in 1970. In 1991, after completing form 4, I emigrated to South Africa where I worked as a housekeeper in Randsburg. In 1998, I then got married to Mr DN who was operating a malayisha (informal transport) business at the time. In 2000, I returned to Zimbabwe and lived in Bulawayo. Using earnings from my husband’s malayisha business, I became a ‘money-changer’ until 2009, while my husband continued with his malayisha business. In 2009, my now ex-husband and I then bought commercial stands here and built shops. We then set up a restaurant and clothing business in Maphisa. In 2012, we then bought two commercial business using proceeds from several businesses, and constructed two ‘Complexes’, which houses various types of tenants, including the Public Services Commission Offices, Holland Funeral Insurance, Musasa (NGO), micro-finance, shops, and so on. We have also managed to build four houses here, and we are renting out three. We are also in the process of building a guest house near Antelope dam. My son, who was working in the diaspora, is building a restaurant and its now at its final stages of completion.
Case 10: Maphisa
In the early 1980s, I worked as a welder as a welder at Monarch. I then left and set up a welding shop at the Rank in Bulawayo. However, at the time Monarch had a monopoly on steel. ZIMASCO was not allowed to sell us any steel to us. So, we had to buy scrap material to make window frames. Monarch would come to raid our welding shops at the Rank as a strategy to maintain its monopoly. They claimed that they had an agreement with the Bulawayo City Council that no one would make and sell steel products. However, big politicians such as Shirichena, Reuben Zemura and president ED himself pushed back against this monopoly. In 1982/83, there was an advert in the Chronicle newspaper about the development of a new town in ‘Antelope’ (now Maphisa), and businesspeople were encouraged to buy stands there. They said that a new road linking Johannesburg and Bulawayo, via Maphisa, would be opened. So, my nephew OMD and myself decided to come and invest here because we hail from here. OMD at the time was running a furniture business in Bulawayo. At first, the white people used to buy furniture from his shop not knowing that it was black-owned. When they finally realised that it was a black-owned business they stopped buying. This was a difficult time to open a business as a black person. Black people were no allowed to open a restaurant, only café for blacks! With all these challenges we were facing in Bulawayo as businesspeople, investing home made sense. So, I bought a commercial stand and set up a shop, where I was doing welding. I later bought an industrial stand. My nephew bought a stand established a furniture shop, which he later closed and built a hotel on the site. At the time, it was all bush here and council would only peg a stand for you and clear it yourself. I have since constructed a lot of small shops and flea markets on my commercial stand, which I am now renting out to small to medium-scale businesses, including restaurants, flee markets, tyre services and petrol station. Maphisa is attracting loads of people from different places because of artisanal gold mining. Before Independence, no black person was allowed to engage in artisanal mining here. It was only TILCOR irrigation and Antelope mine – all for white people.
Food, entertainment and accommodation
Case 11: Chatsworth
I was born in 1970 and but grew up in village 3 in Surati farm where my parents had been resettled in 1983. I came here in 1990 when I got married. My husband was working as a motor mechanic at Chatsworth garage. In 2010, I set up a small kitchen, cooking sadza, at Wimpy and selling to makorokoza. Using proceeds from this business, I bought a shop at Makaure Township for US$13000 in 2015. In 2023, I then returned in Chatsworth and set up a bottle store. Before land reform, people were very few around here because surrounding commercial farms were all bush with cattle. Because of land reform, there are so many people in the resettlement areas today, which means more customers. My customers are mainly farmers from surrounding commercial farms, drivers for AFM church gatherings, civil servants and other local residents.
Case 12: Chatsworth
I am 46 years old. My husband works as a primary school teacher at Gert-nel primary school in Chatsworth. We own and operate a general dealer shop, bottle store, take-away and night club at Makaure township in Chatsworth. We also own a shop and bottle at ‘Zimbabwe’ area near Rufaro. We also have an A1 plot at Lonely farm. I manage the businesses while my husband is at work. We decided to move here because its closer to my husband’s parents who are now old. We established a general dealer shop at Makaure Township in 2006 using a loan from AgriBank. At the time, we were renting from someone else. Around 2008, we then bought a business stand in Chatsworth, and slowly built our own general dealer shop, bottle store and night club through loans and farming. My husband moulded the bricks for the shop by himself. In some cases, we would pay for the builder’s services using maize I grew at the plot. We are not good farmers, but we were able to harvest 2 tonnes of maize in good years and sell one ton to finance the building of the general dealer shop or use the maize to pay the builder. Once the general dealer shop was completed, we started selling groceries again. We then used proceeds from the shop to buy and build a residential stand in Morningside residential area in Chatsworth. We have managed to build a 9-roomed house with 3 bathrooms. In 2017, we also constructed a bottle store here. We also own a general dealer shop and bottle store at Bararwe business centre.
Case 13: Maphisa
I was born in Bulawayo in 1971. After completing form 4 in 1991, I joined the police where I served for 10 years. In 2005, I then resigned from the job and took up a new job as a security supervisor at the Reserve Bank of Bank, and rose through the ranks to the position of head of Financial Investigation Unit. In 2011, I decided to retire and take my package, which I then used to buy 8 kombis and set up a transport business. However, this business did not really do well for me because of competition. The business was very stressful for me; so, health-wise it was not good for me. In 2015, I then decided to set up a restaurant business. We decided to come here as I am originally from Natisa area. We employ 9 permanent workers, but two recently went to South Africa and we are yet to replace them. I am the head cook, but my wife and children also help. Our main customers are NGO workers, miners and passers-by. Local people do not buy that much from us though. Our sales are pretty much constant, unless there is no electricity for months, which means that there won’t be milling for gold miners. I have an A2 plot in Nyamandlovu, where I grow vegetables that I use here. I am also keeping broilers in Bulawayo that I use here.
Case 14: Maphisa
I was born in 1980 in Maphisa and I grew up here. I am a teacher by training, but I have since left teaching and I am now operating my own business. In 2015, I resigned from my job in South Africa and returned home, where I set up a ‘tshisanyama’ (grill) business (braai) using my package from my teaching job. My father owns an A2 plot, so I also tried to grow potatoes, tomatoes and leafy vegetables, and do cattle fattening as well. All these were meant to supply the restaurant. However, I had a challenge with water and high transport costs. In the end, I decided to buy a stand in Kezi from RDC, where I use to pen feed and slaughter animals. This year, I have also opened a new branch in Bulawayo. I employ 15 permanent workers across the two branches. In 2023, I bought an industrial stand in Maphisa, and I am planning to build a lodge for renting out. Using proceeds from the business, I have also managed to build a house in Bulawayo, as well as establishing my own cattle herd. Today, I own 47 herd of cattle that I keep at Kudu farm, where I am renting for grazing. I take all male weaners and pen feed them at my slaughter house in Kezi, before slaughtering them for my restaurant. My main customers in Maphisa are civil servants (such as nurses, teachers and so on). My second main customers are local travellers from surrounding places, and diaspora from South Africa. We also have miners, although they are not as many as in the past because they are facing many challenges. Local farmers are not our major customers because our meat is very expensive for them. My business reaches peak during the dry season – September, October and November – demand for meat is high because there is not a lot of available relish except meat. But in December, demand for meat is low because injivhas (people working in South Africa) will be around, and they slaughter animals for relish. From January to May, farmers will be selling their cattle to cover school fees and other costs, and there will be a lot of meat supply such that meat prices go down as low as R40 per kg. The supply of the meat will be too much, and the meat will be flooded in the market, leading to low prices. To counter this, I buy a lot of cattle during this period using income that I would have made during peak period and keep them at the rented, while waiting for the market to improve.
This is the second in a short blog series prepared by Ian Scoones, Tapiwa Chatikobo, Felix Murimbarimba and others in the field sites. This first blog appeared on Zimbabweland.