Winter profits elude curio vendors
WHEN Government recently allowed the partial re-opening of the tourism industry, there was hope among curio vendors that they might soon be back in business.
Some of them quickly went back to their curio markets to prepare the stalls in anticipation of tourists arrivals.
Curio vending is one of the key sectors in the tourism industry as it attracts tourists who buy artefacts.
A number of vendors make their own curios from wood and stone while others buy from carvers in rural areas outside Victoria Falls as well as from other provinces such as Midlands, Masvingo and Manicaland.
Busy Island, Sinathankawu, Thokozani Craft Market, Zambezi Arts and Craft Women and Tshaka’s Den are the main open curio markets in Victoria Falls with close to 1 000 vendors.
The winter season is usually tourism’s peak period as increased numbers of travellers mostly from western countries visit the country.
A few vendors that have returned to the market say business is low.
They however say they are hopeful business might improve when inter-city and international travel resume.
Mr Jabulani Ndebele who operates at Busy Island which has more than 300 vendors, said life has been unbearable.
“We just came to check on our curios and clean the premises but there are no customers at all. The lockdown has been the hardest time since I started vending here more than 20 years ago. As long as there is no intercity and cross border travel, there is no business to talk about. We are therefore appealing to Governmen to fully open tourism like what Zambia did,” said Mr Ndebele.
He bemoaned sidelining of curio vendors in relief programmes saying none of them had benefited from Covid-19 relief fund.
On a good day before Covid-19 outbreak, a curio vendor would make as much as US$250 or ZWL$10 000 per month. The curio vendors could make much more when there were conferences in the resort town.
Mr Sifundo Gumbo who operates at Busy
Island appealed for Government help.
“Council has said we have to pay rent upfront before we resume operations. This is hard for us because the fact that we are still in lockdown means we have no source of income. We wish Government could consider us uner its Covid19 relief fund,” he said.
Few vendors have returned to Sinathankawu curio market, which has 165 members.
Mr Themba Chuma said: “I started curio vending 12 years ago when I finished secondary school and this is the only trade I have known in my life and is my source of livelihood. We are only here to kill time because home is boring during this lockdown,” said Mr Chuma.
Mr Tau Shumba who has been selling sculptures at Tshaka’s Den since 2000 also said curio vending will remain subdued without international tourists.
“We haven’t opened yet because our buyers come mainly from outside the country. Our challenge now is rent. Things were good before Covid-19 as one would even get ZWL$10 000 or even US$250 per day but now there is nothing as locals just come to take pictures.”
One of the 40 operators at Thokozani Market Mr Kamson Munenge said none of their members had resumed work because of lack of customers.
The Zambezi Arts and Craft Women, where most women who do African attire among other things operate from, is still closed.
Mrs Gail Van Jaarsveldt, proprietor of Elephants Walk which houses several curio and jewellery shops, said the situation was dire for curio vendors.—@ncubeleon