TATENDA CHIKARA IN MASVINGO
Businesses in Masvingo Province have welcomed the move by the government to extend trading hours, a move which will stimulate business.
It comes after President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Tuesday this week relaxed the level 4 Covid-19 lockdown measures, which had taken a toll on businesses, to level 2, which saw business hours extended.
Under the level 2 lockdown measures, businesses are now allowed to operate between 0800am and 7pm. previously, businesses were closing at 3.30pm.
“What the government has done to increase working hours is a welcome move as this will boost business and get the economy to where it was previously,” the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce Masvingo Province vice chairperson, Nkulumani Mlambo, told Business Times.
He added: “We encourage citizens not to relax; they should continue to adhere to Covid-19 regulations like wearing their masks, vaccinating, and maintaining social distances.”
The Consumer Council of Zimbabwe Masvingo chapter spokesperson Ndumiso Mgutshini told Business Times that consumers have also welcomed the government’s decision to extend business hours.
Mgutshini said consumers had been deprived of their right to choose.
“We welcome governments’ decision to extend business hours as the previous hours were limited and they deprived consumers’ right to choose which also contributed to congestion in supermarkets,” Mgutshini said.
Mgutshini also said that consumers ended up buying expensive goods from the black market which put them off-budget.
“….Because of limited time consumers ended up buying goods from the black market with high prices, as they would be having no choice since the big shops, would have closed, so this is the best move,” Mgutshini said.
The Masvingo SMEs Provincial chairperson, Michael Taderera, also welcomed the decision by the government to revert back to level 2 as it “gives us a lot of pressure to meet targets before previously stipulated business hours lapse”
