Glenview home industry complex burnt down

By Innocent Ruwende

Thousands of traders were left counting their losses after an inferno razed down Glenview Home Industry Complex situated along Willowvale Road in Harare yesterday reducing to ashes property worth millions of dollars.

Some of the traders managed to save a small part of their stock, but most of the goods kept in stores overnight were consumed by the inferno.

The cause of the fire is still unknown but traders accused the complex security of starting the fire to cover up their tracks after allegedly stealing their goods.

Harare mayor Bernard Manyenyeni who visited the complex to assess the extent of the damage described the incident as a tragedy recommending counselling to traders who lost their wares.

“It’s a tragedy the size of this fire is not what I would have imagined its 10 to 20 times the size I would have thought from a distance. A lot of workmen have been affected most of their wares looked like they were complete for market.

“They seem to have lost a lot of finished goods and also given the ability of our small scale business people to mobilise resources we see a lot of financial stress emerging from this. I would say a lot of counselling is needed collectively and possibly individually as people come to terms with their losses which are not small,” he said.