Musawenkosi Moyo
BUSINESS owners in Bulawayo who participated at the annual Bulawayo Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) winter exhibition, held last Friday at the Large City Hall, expressed optimism that the event provided them with an opportunity to showcase and market their goods and services.
Originally intended to provide a platform for MSMEs to market their goods and services, the exhibition also fostered collaboration and networking among businesses.The event offered attendees a valuable opportunity to showcase their work and attract potential investors and business partnerships.
Owner of Das Foods Enterprise, Sibusisiwe Chitewe, highlighted the importance of the exhibition saying it provides a valuable opportunity for small businesses to attract investors and build a network of clients.
“Showcasing our work here is crucial as it allows us to gain recognition from a variety of organizations and individuals within the community.
“We see this exhibition as an opportunity to network and engage with potential clients. This interaction helps us build our customer base,” said Chitewe.
A co-owner of FreshTech Vegetable Suppliers Anne Nkomo said that the event allowed businesspeople to learn from each other and see how other businesses operate. “We get to see how other businesses operate and adapt to the changing environment in the country. This means we learn new business skills that we can then apply to our own businesses,” she said.
The exhibition came at a time when the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) strengthened its resolve to remove illegal vendors from the streets.
A vendor Tholakele Mhlongo said their businesses were being compromised by the city council’s move to remove vendors from the streets. “As vendors, our income is being put at risk by the city council’s raids on our only sources of livelihood, leaving us with nothing,” said Mhlongo.
She also stressed the troubles faced by vendors in getting loans and investments to grow their businesses.
“Finding loans as vendors is difficult because banks require collateral to approve loans, something many of us don’t have,” she said.
