Christopher Farai Charamba Features Writer
If one thought they had seen the worst of the unfolding crisis in Harare where unregulated informal and illegal vending activities are taking place, then there is still something else to learn.
A significant chunk of fresh mealies that is being sold on the streets of Harare and places such as Mbare Musika is being cooked under the most unhygienic and deplorable conditions along the banks of Mukuvisi River. And hold on, by the way Mukuvisi has a life of its own that is anything from being a haven of criminals to being an open brothel.
But it is the phenomenal growth of unhygienic cooking of maize that is likely to shock many and worry authorities.
The situation is like this: Along the banks of Mukuvisi, drums are placed on fires made out of anything from tyres, plastics and wood. Boiling in the drums are maize cobs for sale in Mbare and the city centre.
Some residents of Matapi Flats in Mbare now make a living out of cooking maize in giant metal drums and selling the boiled cobs in the city and at Mbare bus terminus. They have since been joined by destitutes staying along the stream in the lucrative business.
With the scarcity of wood and cost associated thereof, maize cob vendors now use old tyres to provide fuel to boil the maize. Thick plumes can be seen from the direction of the river as men and women boil the cobs.
Emmanuel Chingwanu said he has been in the business since he was young and took over from his parents.
“I have been selling maize for a long time now. My parents used to do this when I was young so I just took over from them.
“We cook the maize in these metal drums because they are big and we can fit large quantities of maize inside. It is also easier for us to use the drums because we burn tyres instead of using firewood.
“We don’t have to worry about the soot that collects outside the drums as it does not get into the drum,” he said.
“We use tyres because they are much cheaper and are a good source of fuel for the cooking. They also take time to burn making it easy to serve. Above all, these used tyres we pick up from garages and roadsides,” he explained.
Covered in soot and wearing fire protective boots, Emmanuel said he gets his maize from Mbare Musika and once it is done cooking he goes to the different ranks in Mbare to sell his product.
“This is how I survive and feed my family. It is not something that I willingly chose to do but there are no jobs out there and I have to feed myself and my family. This is hard work but it pays enough for me to take care of myself,” he said.
Mai Masiko, an elderly woman from Mbare, claims that she has been cooking and selling her maize since the 1980s and that this business has helped her send her two daughters to school and helps look after her grandchildren.
“This work is difficult but I have been doing it for over 30 years now. It is how I have been able to take care of my family. I have six grandchildren that I take care of after one of my daughters passed away and this is how I feed them,” she said.
“I get up very early in the morning to go to Mbare Musika to buy maize and groundnuts, then I come here and boil them using these old tyres. We fetch water from the flats and then start cooking the maize. Once the maize is done, I take it to go and sell it in town,” Mai Masiko explained.
She now even boils maize cobs and groundnuts for some teenagers who come to buy for resale.
The business has become a cash cow for both maize vendors and collectors of used tyres.
Mai Masiko blamed shortages of jobs as the push factor that sent her and others to the banks of Mukuvisi and to breathe the heavily polluted air in search of the elusive dollar. She said many more people are joining the trade.
“The number is growing and competition is also increasing. This is because there are no jobs. Across the river all those industries have shut down and all that is left for us to do is selling,” she said.
A young man known as “Chairman” also bemoaned the fact that there were no jobs and that it was the only way for them to sustain themselves is to cook and sell maize.
“City council is always on our case and making us pay $3 to sell our maize. The problem is this eats into our profits as it is not every day that I will sell something that amounts to the $20 stock I would have bought. We are trying to make an honest living but at the same time City Council is trying to prevent us from doing so. There are areas they have designated for vendors like myself but the problem is they are far from the people and that does not work as we have to sell the maize hot,” he commented.
Though they claim to source their water from the nearby Matapi Flats, reality is they are using the heavily polluted water from the stream, which presents multiple health risks to consumers of their food.
Although urban by-laws allow vendors to prepare and sell foodstuffs, there are strict regulations that need to be followed aside from one acquiring a permit.
According to Statutory Instrument (SI) 159 of 2014 there is a standard of cleanliness required of the stalls and stands where any food is to be prepared and sold. The SI goes on to state that vendors should “take adequate precautions to safeguard the food from dirt, dust, pests, vermin, or other contamination”.
Unfortunately, the maize and groundnuts cooked in Mukuvisi and sold on the city’s streets does not meet any of the conditions of the city’s by-laws and, in fact, may pose a serious health risk to those that consume them.
Harare Health Director Dr Prosper Chonzi confirmed this assertion stating that consuming of food prepared in Mukuvisi could put one at risk of diseases such as dysentery, cholera or typhoid.
Although the vendors categorically state that their food has not made anyone sick, Dr Chonzi stated that if they are sourcing their water from the Mukuvisi then there is great risk even if it had been boiled, it would still carry contaminants.
“People need to be extremely careful regarding the food that they buy particularly on the streets. The areas that it is prepared in are usually not inspected or certified and as such one puts themselves in harm’s way as they can get infected,” he said.
“The people preparing the food are also putting themselves at risk by burning tyres for fuel. Burning tyres release raw emissions and this will affect someone’s respiratory system which can then cause tuberculosis or pneumonia,” he warned.
For one to be able to sell cooked food, the place where it is prepared as well as the people preparing and serving the food need to be inspected, Dr Chonzi explained.
“It will take two to five days to inspect the premises and the people. All food for public consumption needs to go through rigorous; scrutiny we do not want to put anyone at risk. People must stop buying food from the side of the road and from vendors because it is not safe as there are usually no inspections done. One might think they are saving money but once you get sick or infect your family, you will realise that the cost is greater,” he continued.
Dr Chonzi sympathised with the vendors stating that he understood they were trying to earn a living but suggested that they follow proper procedures for certification as this would lead to less health risks for the public as well as for themselves.
According to Dr Chonzi, in 2008 there were over 100 000 reported cases of cholera with some 400 dying of the preventable disease in Harare. Should Zimbabwean not proceed with caution regarding consuming food from vendors then the country could find itself with another pandemic on her hands.
Food is essential to survival and therefore those preparing it and those eating it should make sure that it is as safe as possible so that one can enjoy their meal or snack without fear of future predicaments.
Feedback: chrischaramba@gmail.com
If one thought they had seen the worst of the unfolding crisis in Harare where unregulated informal and illegal vending activities are taking place, then there is still something else to learn.
A significant chunk of fresh mealies that is being sold on the streets of Harare and places such as Mbare Musika is being cooked under the most unhygienic and deplorable conditions along the banks of Mukuvisi River. And hold on, by the way Mukuvisi has a life of its own that is anything from being a haven of criminals to being an open brothel.
But it is the phenomenal growth of unhygienic cooking of maize that is likely to shock many and worry authorities.
The situation is like this: Along the banks of Mukuvisi, drums are placed on fires made out of anything from tyres, plastics and wood. Boiling in the drums are maize cobs for sale in Mbare and the city centre.
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| READY FOR THE MARKET . . . Emmanuel Chingwaru displays a maize cob ready for consumption |
With the scarcity of wood and cost associated thereof, maize cob vendors now use old tyres to provide fuel to boil the maize. Thick plumes can be seen from the direction of the river as men and women boil the cobs.
Emmanuel Chingwanu said he has been in the business since he was young and took over from his parents.
“I have been selling maize for a long time now. My parents used to do this when I was young so I just took over from them.
“We cook the maize in these metal drums because they are big and we can fit large quantities of maize inside. It is also easier for us to use the drums because we burn tyres instead of using firewood.
“We don’t have to worry about the soot that collects outside the drums as it does not get into the drum,” he said.
“We use tyres because they are much cheaper and are a good source of fuel for the cooking. They also take time to burn making it easy to serve. Above all, these used tyres we pick up from garages and roadsides,” he explained.
Covered in soot and wearing fire protective boots, Emmanuel said he gets his maize from Mbare Musika and once it is done cooking he goes to the different ranks in Mbare to sell his product.
“This is how I survive and feed my family. It is not something that I willingly chose to do but there are no jobs out there and I have to feed myself and my family. This is hard work but it pays enough for me to take care of myself,” he said.
Mai Masiko, an elderly woman from Mbare, claims that she has been cooking and selling her maize since the 1980s and that this business has helped her send her two daughters to school and helps look after her grandchildren.
“This work is difficult but I have been doing it for over 30 years now. It is how I have been able to take care of my family. I have six grandchildren that I take care of after one of my daughters passed away and this is how I feed them,” she said.
“I get up very early in the morning to go to Mbare Musika to buy maize and groundnuts, then I come here and boil them using these old tyres. We fetch water from the flats and then start cooking the maize. Once the maize is done, I take it to go and sell it in town,” Mai Masiko explained.
She now even boils maize cobs and groundnuts for some teenagers who come to buy for resale.
The business has become a cash cow for both maize vendors and collectors of used tyres.
Mai Masiko blamed shortages of jobs as the push factor that sent her and others to the banks of Mukuvisi and to breathe the heavily polluted air in search of the elusive dollar. She said many more people are joining the trade.
“The number is growing and competition is also increasing. This is because there are no jobs. Across the river all those industries have shut down and all that is left for us to do is selling,” she said.
A young man known as “Chairman” also bemoaned the fact that there were no jobs and that it was the only way for them to sustain themselves is to cook and sell maize.
“City council is always on our case and making us pay $3 to sell our maize. The problem is this eats into our profits as it is not every day that I will sell something that amounts to the $20 stock I would have bought. We are trying to make an honest living but at the same time City Council is trying to prevent us from doing so. There are areas they have designated for vendors like myself but the problem is they are far from the people and that does not work as we have to sell the maize hot,” he commented.
Though they claim to source their water from the nearby Matapi Flats, reality is they are using the heavily polluted water from the stream, which presents multiple health risks to consumers of their food.
Although urban by-laws allow vendors to prepare and sell foodstuffs, there are strict regulations that need to be followed aside from one acquiring a permit.
According to Statutory Instrument (SI) 159 of 2014 there is a standard of cleanliness required of the stalls and stands where any food is to be prepared and sold. The SI goes on to state that vendors should “take adequate precautions to safeguard the food from dirt, dust, pests, vermin, or other contamination”.
Unfortunately, the maize and groundnuts cooked in Mukuvisi and sold on the city’s streets does not meet any of the conditions of the city’s by-laws and, in fact, may pose a serious health risk to those that consume them.
Harare Health Director Dr Prosper Chonzi confirmed this assertion stating that consuming of food prepared in Mukuvisi could put one at risk of diseases such as dysentery, cholera or typhoid.
Although the vendors categorically state that their food has not made anyone sick, Dr Chonzi stated that if they are sourcing their water from the Mukuvisi then there is great risk even if it had been boiled, it would still carry contaminants.
“People need to be extremely careful regarding the food that they buy particularly on the streets. The areas that it is prepared in are usually not inspected or certified and as such one puts themselves in harm’s way as they can get infected,” he said.
“The people preparing the food are also putting themselves at risk by burning tyres for fuel. Burning tyres release raw emissions and this will affect someone’s respiratory system which can then cause tuberculosis or pneumonia,” he warned.
For one to be able to sell cooked food, the place where it is prepared as well as the people preparing and serving the food need to be inspected, Dr Chonzi explained.
“It will take two to five days to inspect the premises and the people. All food for public consumption needs to go through rigorous; scrutiny we do not want to put anyone at risk. People must stop buying food from the side of the road and from vendors because it is not safe as there are usually no inspections done. One might think they are saving money but once you get sick or infect your family, you will realise that the cost is greater,” he continued.
Dr Chonzi sympathised with the vendors stating that he understood they were trying to earn a living but suggested that they follow proper procedures for certification as this would lead to less health risks for the public as well as for themselves.
According to Dr Chonzi, in 2008 there were over 100 000 reported cases of cholera with some 400 dying of the preventable disease in Harare. Should Zimbabwean not proceed with caution regarding consuming food from vendors then the country could find itself with another pandemic on her hands.
Food is essential to survival and therefore those preparing it and those eating it should make sure that it is as safe as possible so that one can enjoy their meal or snack without fear of future predicaments.
Feedback: chrischaramba@gmail.com
