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Godknows Nhandara

Oliver Kazunga Senior Business Reporter
ZIMBABWE still has the potential to restore its economic fortunes despite the challenges facing the economy, a director of a Bulawayo-based indigenous company York-Lee Suppliers, Godknows Nhandara believes.
The company, which supplies sewing machines and spare parts, was formed in 1998 by Nhandara at 22-years of age.

In a wide ranging interview yesterday, Nhandara said he started as a general supplier of assorted products that included linen and towels used in the hospitality industry.

“Before the formation of the company, I was a street vendor selling arts and crafts products such as curios and I was inspired by the government’s economic empowerment programme to form the company, York-Lee in 1998,” said Nhandara.

In 2000, Nhandara said he discovered a niche in the clothing and footwear industry resulting in his company switching to supplying sewing machines and spare parts to local companies such as the now defunct Merlin, Ascot, Merspin and G&D Shoes among others.

“Despite the economic challenges facing the economy, our company still exists and we are supplying sewing machines and spare parts.

We import the machines from countries in Asia. In the years prior to 2008 all was rosy for our operations. However, business viability turned nasty due to economic meltdown the country went through that saw a number of companies in the country including those in Bulawayo especially the clothing and textile industry closing down,” he said.

The closure of firms, Nhandara said, impacted negatively on his company’s operations.

Asked about how his company has managed to remain in existence in light of the depressed economic climate, he said they re-strategised operations through penetrating the export market.

Apart from supplying the local market that include sindividuals, government departments and tertiary institutions, York-Lee also supplies companies in Botswana and Zambia.

One of the major fundamentals facing the economy is liquidity crunch that has seen debtors at times not being able to pay on time.

In light of the challenges facing the clothing and textile industry at the moment, Nhandara said it was imperative for the government to impose a ban on the importation of cheap clothing and textile products to protect local industries.

In recent years, concerns have been raised over the influx of cheap imported products mainly from the Far East. “Cheap imported clothes and footwear products are creating competition for locally produced products so government should ban the importation of such products.

Imported raw materials for the clothing and textile industry must be exempt from paying duty inorder to make locally produced products competitive,” said Nhandara.

He said it was the responsibility of government to ensure the local industry is protected from unnecessary competition from outside.

“We are fully behind the indigenisation and economic empowerment programme and the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-economic Transformation,” said Nhandara.

To prospective entrepreneurs, Nhandara said: “Zimbabwe is a good country. The indigenisation programme is excellent. When in business or searching for possible areas of investment in different economic sectors research about the particular industry and strategise.

Think outside the box even when the economy is not performing well.”