ZITF leaves lasting memories

By The Southern Eye | Apr. 28, 2014

PEOPLE who thronged the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) held in Bulawayo last week said this year’s event was better and more exciting compared to 2013.

LINDA CHINOBVA/ JUNIOR MOYO

ZITF ran from Tuesday to Saturday under the theme “New Ideas to New Heights”. It was characterised by a blissful atmosphere with children wearing different face markings and masks on the last day.

Ruth Moyo from Hillside said what was more interesting about this year’s trade fair was the quality of exhibits at a number of stands which were more eye-catching compared to last year.

“This year’s trade fair was more exciting compared to that of last year because exhibitors did unique things and I observed that the quality of exhibits was better compared to last year,” she said.

Another visitor Caroline Mukombwe from Nketa said the fair was exciting because of the various groups that showcased their talents.

“I enjoyed watching the different groups that included the police band, prison band and the Jairos Jiri School of the Blind Marimba band showcasing their different talents. The performances were very entertaining,” she said.

Simbarashe Mvumi from Northend said: “The trade fair has become a Zimbabwean culture that brings the people of the country together and it gives us a sense of unity as a country despite our differences at individual level. The coming together of people at the trade fair gave us a bit of hope of revival as a nation despite the failing economy.”

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Sinenkosi Dube from Kingsdale said the trade fair was overwhelming as people managed to buy different products in bulk from the various companies at reasonable prices. Irene Hove, a vendor said the trade fair brought business to them as they sold out all their goods.

“The trade fair brought a lot of business to us vendors because a lot of people were buying our goods and we actually ran out of some of our products. Within the five days of the trade fair, my take home per day was about $280,” she said.

However, some said the trade fair was irrelevant to the people of Bulawayo because most of the companies exhibiting were from Harare.

“This year’s trade fair did not have an impact on the Bulawayo community because it came at a time when most people in the city are unemployed and companies closing down,” Reynold Ncube said.

“The trade fair is meant to expose some businesspeople to other businesspeople, but if you are unemployed then the essence of the trade fair loses its meaning.”

Nicola Mguni from Montrose said apart from the business exhibits, the trade fair had to accommodate local artistes to promote their careers and for the fans to have one-on-one conversations with them considering that the arts industry is growing. Visitors were unhappy with the gate charges.

“We are not happy with the gate charges at the trade fair because adults were made to pay $5 each while children were made to pay $3 each. Next year we expect reasonable entry fees. We can’t be paying so much money just to see what the business world has in store,” Tawana Malikongwe from Nketa said.

ZITF 2014 HIGHLIGHTS