…GCSMEs call for immediate NRZ, SMEs engagement
Tinaani Nyabereka
Gweru– Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) currently operating at the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) site near Swift and Metro Peech area have expressed concern over unjustified increase of rentals by the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ).
The development comes as the prevailing economic hardships continue to affect the business community as prices of goods and services have inflated due to the instability of the local currency.
Commenting on the development, one of the dealers who owns a car sales at the NRZ site, Grey Mutsambiwa said the initial agreement as of 2019 was based on the agreement that the tenants were to pay US$ 0.30 per square meter.
“Initially when we came here, we signed a lease agreement of US$ 0 .30 per square meter and that was in 2019 and that changed to US$ 0.40 per square meter before the first lockdown period. Soon after the lockdown most businesses accumulated debts and we then thought of coming up with payment plans for the debts.
“As we were paying our lockdown debts, we then saw officials from NRZ come and tell us that the rates had been increased to US$ 2.50 per square meter with immediate effect. I was paying US$ 1000 per month but things changed all of a sudden and on top of the lockdown; we saw the US$ 2.50 coming. As I am talking to you, am supposed to pay US$ 5000 per 2000 square meter, we then tried to engage our landlord but they did not come on the ground to assess the situation.
When we came here, there was nothing, we developed the area on our own as you can see and in the process we incurred extra costs on toilets and water but the landlord didn’t say anything about it. We once wrote to them but they didn’t reply and we are very worried about this situation,” he said.
Another business owner Edsome Gapare Nkiwane who runs a hardware company said as tenants they were pleading for rentals to be reviewed.
“Our plea is to meet with the landlord and engage with regards to this issue. At least we want them to know that in clearing these arrears, we also incurred a lot of costs as we built toilets. As for me, am operating on a 200 square meter area. I told them to regularize and they told me they would come but up to date nothing has materialized. Some tenants are paying US$ 0.50 per square meter in other towns but here we don’t know what is happening.
“If one wants to expand his/ her business they are saying pay deposit in US$ but you are receipted in bond notes. We really want to understand what is going on. We heard a directive was given that if one fails to pay, they should just leave everything and go, even the property one would have invested in. Is that fair though?” he said.
Another entrepreneur Langton Moyo who owns a hardware market said there was need for the landlord to review the terms and conditions of the lease agreement.
Gweru Chamber of SMEs chairperson Tafadzwa Mazorodze however said acts of corruption could not be ruled out on this matter.
“We are not sure how the landlords are dealing with this issue but what I can say is that we also suspect that there might be elements of corruption, the fees being charged are not justified.
“We are going to engage them as we are pushing for a meeting, the meeting was slated for Tuesday last week but it has since been changed to this coming Friday. We hope to meet with the board so that we can clarify the issue,” said Mazorodze.
Efforts to get a comment from the Acting NRZ Midlands Estates Manager Loice Mazadza on the matter were fruitless as her mobile phone was not reachable.
However the NRZ board is expected to give a way forward in resolving the situation.
