from DANAI MWARUMBWA in Harare, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe Bureau
HARARE, (CAJ News) – A MYSTERIOUS fire has razed down Zimbabwe’s biggest informal market, Mbare Musika in the capital Harare.
Reports suggest some lives have been lost.
As of Wednesday, authorities were yet to confirm the cause of the inferno, amid allegations of arson.
The livelihoods of hundreds of traders at the popular market have been impacted.
“The fire spread rapidly because of the nature of products in the market and wooden stalls,” said Harare mayor, Jacob Mafume.
Mbare, Zimbabwe’s oldest township, is located south of Harare. Musika is “market” in the local Shona language
Opposition politician, Linda Masarira, speculated the inferno was a result of inter-party fighting in Zimbabwe.
She pointed to a history of tension and ownership/patronage disputes between the ruling party Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) and Citizen Coalition for Change (CCC).
The impoverished Mbare is an opposition stronghold.
“It’s essential that authorities thoroughly investigate the cause of this fire to determine whether it was an accident or a deliberate act,” Masarira charged.
In 2022, a mob set ablaze the other informal market in Harare, called Mupedzanhamo.
These markets are a livelihood to thousands, amid high unemployment in the Southern African nation of over 16 million people.
– CAJ News