Spare a thought for match day workers merchants

SEBASTIAN MUKANDA prays every day for things to come back to normal.

This morning, he would have been preparing his stuff for sale at any of the country’s football stadia this weekend.

But, he is back at his rural home in Murehwa, helping his grandmother harvest her crop.

Mukanda invested in a screen printer, over eight years ago, and has been selling Dynamos and CAPS United merchandise.

“I have mainly survived on selling replicas for Premiership teams and I have cashed in on Dynamos and CAPS United products,’’ he said.

‘’I use my machine to print individualised messages on fabrics for different customers.

“I sell all sorts of things like T-shirts, hand bands, caps, flags, fabric calendars and everything that a supporter may want in order to be associated with their team.

‘’I don’t only wait for these two teams to be in Harare but I also follow them when they are playing away.’’

But, with the country on national lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak and football activities frozen, Mukanda appears to be one of the hardest hit.

“The coronavirus pandemic is something else. At the moment, I am in my rural home in Murehwa where I rushed to just before the commencement of the initial threeweek national lockdown.

“I would have been making a killing from my venture at the stadiums across the country.

“My business thrives, especially in the opening weeks of the season, before fans grow weary due to possible poor performance by their teams as the season progresses.

“But, here we are, down in the rural areas, just hoping for the best.”

The postponement of the start of the 2020 Premiership season has not only affected fans and players alike but has hit hard those whose lives are significantly dependent on match days.

Harare City Council spokesperson, Michael Chideme, said his team hires, at least 55 people, whom they pay immediately after their home matches.

“When we play at home, we require the services of close to 56 people. These include stadium announcers, PA system engineers, marshalls among others,” said Chideme.

“We pay these people just after the match, regardless of whether the team would have attracted a bumper crowd or not.

‘’It’s a routine.”

For Dynamos, Highlanders and CAPS United, the numbers increase.

Food, ice cream and beverage vendors have also felt the impact.

ZIFA, PSL and local authorities, who own most of the stadiums in the country and get revenue from host teams, are also losing out.