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Andile Tshuma, Chronicle Correspondent
Mr Obert Ngirandi (65) sold his first bouquet of flowers in Bulawayo in 1988 and has never looked back.

The flower vendor sells an assortment of fresh and artificial flowers.

He knows how to deal with his clients — those who come for flowers for happy occasions, celebrations and others who are bereaved and need a wreath to lay on the graves of loved ones.

He knows how to switch his mood from sombre to blissful, depending on the situation.

Mr Ngirandi says some people have bought the same type of bouquet for a birthday for the last five years or so, others the same type of flowers every year to go and lay at the grave of a loved one, whether it is a wreath, teardrop, spray or sheaf. Roses, lilies, orchids, dandelions, daffodils, daisies or forget-me-nots, whatever flower fetish one may have, he can meet.

Lucky customers sometimes get a free bouquet, especially those that have been faithful for years.

Because of the decades he has spent in perfecting his art, including that of communicating with clients, he can most of the times guess the occasion before a client says the reasons of their stop at his stall.

The past few months have been very different in his life as for the first time in 32 years he had to take a very long unplanned sabbatical from work, when a raging flu-like virus changed the status quo, forcing governments to close borders and enforce lockdowns to try and curb the spread of Covid-19. Without the flowers and curios, the City Hall has been dull. The flowers and art add a dash of colour and bring life to the city.

“I have been in this business for more than thirty years. I took all my children to school with proceeds from this business and now they are taking care of me as three of them are now based in South Africa.

“I still have one child in school with my second wife since my first wife passed away. This is not just business; it is my way of life. When I started selling back then in the 80s, there were not so many people interested in this business, but more and more are coming. Farms in the region have been affected and most of the fresh flowers are sourced from Harare,” said Mr Ngirandi.

“During the lockdown, we could not sell fresh flowers even from home as we source them from Harare and transport was unreliable. So, we could only sell artificial flowers to bereaved families.

“We were surviving on the little savings we had. However, despite losing out on business, I missed the people more than I missed the money.

“When you are used to spending your day with colleagues and meeting new faces every day, confinement for more than two months is no joke. I am just happy to be back.”

He said while tourists are not coming, it is not as bad for business as they are still selling to locals. “However, with no events such as weddings and other such events, business is not as good as at any other normal time, but we are just grateful to be back. This business is my life,” he said.

Mr Ngirandi is not the only one who was affected by the lockdown. Some of his colleagues say they lost their money as their fresh flower stocks withered with no buyers when the lockdown started.

Curio vendors had it better as they just packed their things and waited for the reopening of the country, but they lost out on one of the biggest business opportunities on the city’s calendar, when the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair 2020 was postponed. Many curio vendors order a lot of crafts in advance, in preparation for the country’s biggest exhibition, but this year, they were dealt a blow.

For 43-year-old Ms Rachel Moyo, their place of work is not just a place of business but has become her second home as she spends most of her time there.

“Tourists are the biggest customer base. Business is slow now that borders are closed. We normally do not get a lot of business from locals especially for artifacts such as jewelry and other decorative household crafts. However, cooking sticks, and other pieces of jewellery are being bought by locals. We are just glad to be back. Locals appreciate our craft, and art generally, but usually their disposable incomes are low and can only afford the bare minimum, such that these crafts just become a luxury,” she said. Ms Moyo has been in business at the City Hall since 2007, although she left her stand for some years to pursue other interests, only to return a few years later.

Bulawayo City Council Senior Public Relations Officer Mrs Nesisa Mpofu said the return of the flower and curio vendors in the city was due to Government’s review of the lockdown, which saw the relaxation of some rules, allowing for the return of informal traders.

She urged all informal traders, including the flower and curio vendors to ensure that their licences are up to date to be able to trade without challenges.

“The informal traders are back as outlined in the Presidential statement made approximately two weeks back.

“The statement had indicated that licensed informal traders are now allowed to trade as long as they are adhering to the outlined Covid-19 protocols. The City in line with the Covid-19 protocols clears the informal traders. Those registered with up to date licences and also adhering to Covid-19 protocols are allowed back to the sites,” said Mrs Mpofu. — @andile_tshuma.