By Bekithemba Mhlanga
The 54th edition of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair opens in Bulawayo in the next few days. With it will come the expected fun. Quick maths shows that it has been on the roll since 1959.
For a week youngsters will flock to the show – have their first taste of alcohol, collect catalogues they never read. The adults will wonder from stand to stand –not buy anything but ask as many questions as possible.
Business and busy ness people will stock up their stands with lots of whisky, lobby for President Mugabe and President Banda to visit their stands. For a week the talk of the town will be about the 54th ZITF and will generate more heat than light.
That is the way it is and that is the way it has always been, but that is not the way it should be!
It’s beaten to the longevity stakes by the Matabeleland –Zambesi water project and that has not been a spectacular success.
I have had the privilege of being part of this spectacle in three different phases of my life – as a young boy fascinated by the copious catalogues that one collected from the various stands, as a broadcaster relaying the goings on the national broadcaster, as an employee of the national investment promotion agency and a local bank.
I have no recollection of anyone in Bulawayo who bought something because they had seen it at the International Trade or set up a thriving business following on contacts from the event – none at all.
A queue of people, as long as the Zambezi River, will testify to the benefits that this showcase has brought to Bulawayo and the country in general. I have my doubts , but that is for others to disprove.
It’s become an albatross on the neck of Bulawayo and has been for some time. Has the time not come for it to be folded up and archived ? All things come to an end including problems. Bulawayo must have the difficult conversation on how to end this problem.
My argument is based on four premises.
Firstly, fifty four years is a long time for a brand (product ) to remain competitive if it has not changed or enhanced its format. Our neighbours must be running something more compelling and attractive and will not be out done by a fifty four year old hag in old clothes struggling to make an impression.
Secondly, like many things this in Matabeleland and Bulawayo, this unexplained desire to hang to ZITF says something about the lack of creativity and imagination of the business community.
The same creativity that has led to the bizarre outcry those companies in Bulawayo that have ceased operations should be revived . This is despite the fact that some of them if not most had outlived their usefulness, competitive edge and were generally irrelevant.
The City will not move forward it if it is held back by nostalgia.
Thirdly – the myth that hosting the fair will help Bulawayo attract investors is obviously false. If indeed this was the case how come in the 54 years the level of manufacturing activity in Bulawayo has not boomed exponentially – even if one factors in the economic challenges of the last 14 years.
It’s simply not true. The drivers of investment, especially global investment , are certainly not one of annually events supported by leaflets evangelising about the beauty of a location ,with an investment conference thrown for good measure .
I recall a feisty discussion with Enoch Kamushinda when I was trying to convince him to finance a production of a booklet that the Zimbabwe Investment Centre intended to use in luring investors to Zimbabwe.
He told me in no uncertain terms were to go. He was crystal clear that business knows where to go and money knows its best home . In fact he was saying money has feelings – it will go and stay where it’s treated well ,it does not require a little shin dig to turn its mind.
If anything ZITF costs Bulawayo money – money that it doesn’t have and money that it should not be spending. It causes a whole lot of inconvenience for the locals who have to contend with a horde of invaders who are always quick to belittle the locals.
Fourthly, the site on which stands ZITF is huge enough and well-structured to form the basis of a new central business district. Within the site are banks, restaurants ,shops –you name it . There is an entrepreneurial individual out there who will run that as another central business district.
It could take off with great speed, less cost and will be open most of the year and not one week of the year. It is some form of Sam Levy village just waiting to happen.
They will those who will ask “ Manje sizasalalani ?” ( What are going to be left with if ZITF comes to an end). For one the City has a wonderful manufacturing base of links with neighbouring countries, easily accessible enchanting tourists’ sites and a manufacturing and industrial base that is ready for taking .
What it lacks is the imagination and business acumen to attract investors to invest in these sectors .This is what will drive growth in Bulawayo not the ZITF.
In the mid-1990s rumours swirled that ZITF was to move to Harare. May be it should have – the monkey would have been taken of the back of Bulawayo.
Before one blinks it will be all over, the stands will lie empty for another year most certainly another industrial operation will cease operations in Bulawayo in the coming months . No one stops to wonder on whether this is worth the trouble. Eric Bloch will say it is.
