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White Site Engineering sales/marketing manager Charity Mudhubiwa (left), Minister of Small to Medium Enterprises and Cooperative Development Sithembiso Nyoni (centre) and White Site Engineering manager Mr David Mwatseteza (right) touring CIPF Centre in Belmont in Bulawayo on Friday

Oliver Kazunga, Senior Business Reporter
SMALL to Medium Enterprises in Bulawayo will this week receive leather processing equipment that the Government secured from the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa).

The machinery, which was sponsored by the European Union (EU) and is worth about $125 000, was handed over to the Government last month.

Small to Medium Enterprises and Co-operative Development Minister Sithembiso Nyoni, who conducted a tour of small business in the city last week, said the machinery would be housed at the Clothing Industry and Pension Fund industrial park along Khami Road.

The machinery includes a skiving machine, sole processing machine, a post machine, belt aging machine, arm machine, shoe lasts, pliers and toe lasting machine.

“Another reason why I am touring SMEs in Bulawayo is to inspect the premises where the leather processing equipment we have received will be housed.

“I visited the site, it’s almost ready and they were just cleaning, they need to just white wash the walls and the electrification is in place,” she said.

“And I have asked that the equipment should move to the site before the end of next week (this week) so that on Saturday I just go there to see if it has been delivered.”

Minister Nyoni said the leather processing equipment would be commissioned by Comesa and the EU.

To be eligible to use the equipment, Minister Nyoni said, the SMEs should be members of the leather cluster such as the sewing and the leather products clusters.

It is hoped that the equipment will go a long way in boosting leather production and promoting industrialisation in Bulawayo and the country at large.

In the past, countries such as Italy and Ethiopia have made significant strides in developing their economies by value adding on leather.

Minister Nyoni said the Government was championing SMEs growth and development taking into account the critical role played by the sector in economic development.

She said the reason for her tour of SMEs in Bulawayo was to establish the level of production and employment by enterprises in the sector.

“I was amazed at the quality of production by SMEs in Bulawayo particularly those at the CIPF Industrial Park and also the railway and here (Lobengula Square popularly known as Egodini) where I toured the vendors. SMEs are really doing a splendid job but they are invisible.

“We visited people that are doing engineering and are supplying the mines, people that are sewing and are supplying schools, retail outlets and tertiary institutions,” the Minister said.

Minister Nyoni said her ministry would also work towards creating business linkages among SMEs themselves to enable them to become competitive as well as growing their businesses.

“The other reason why l am touring is because l would like to see graduation from vending to production; to proper marketing. And l have identified some of the SMEs that are playing a bigger role here, they started as vendors . . . once they engage into production and also a value chain that is making them a lot of money they move away from vending but Ialso  found out that vending can be a dignified thing,” she said.

Minister Nyoni toured companies that include Rauch Manufacturers, 3g Tyres, Universal Canvas Solutions, White Site Engineering, and Lingwe Private Limited, as well as flea market traders at Egodini.

@okazunga