With Zimbabwe’s rubber industry and tyre manufacturing companies yet to fully recover from the country’s economic meltdown, informal tyre services have stepped up with second hand tyres from neighbouring countries to satisfy needs of the local market. Tapiwa Nhehwa (32) of Dombotombo, Marondera told The Zimbabwean how his services played a crucial role in the economy of the country.
“I learnt the trade as an assistant tyre mender from my father who worked at Peacock Service Station in Harare for 20 years of his working life. After completing my High School education 1999, I realised industries were closing as the country’s economy collapsed.
Major cause of accidents
“My father advised that as a man I had to swiftly swallow my pride and follow his footsteps as a tyre mender, since the economy was already on a free fall. He would take me on as an unofficial tyre mending apprentice at his work place.
“Management at the company was mainly white which emphasised the need for high standard tyre mending and maintenance. Poor tyre condition is the major cause of the majority of fatal road accidents.
“After mastering the ropes of the tyre service and maintenance trade in 2003, I joined the great trek to the Diaspora and landed in Botswana where I worked part time to raise capital for my own tyre service company back home. As I would regularly send groceries and cash to dependents back home, it took me two years to make enough savings for the project.
“Armed with an electric air compressor, a power generator, three hundred good second hand tyres, dozens of tyre tubes and glue, I returned home in 2005.
“As the administration of the local authority here was then choked with financial constraints and maladministration, I provided services from my homestead along Nungu Road, Rujeko. Business was not as brisk as I had expected as motorists could not access fuel and the Zimbabwean dollar used as the country’s sole legal tender then had become worthless.
“Once in a while, motorists and owners of push-carts would trickle in for my services. This kept me going through hard times and other prevailing challenges did not break my spirit.
“Following the dollarization of the economy, business in the informal tyre industry assumed an upward turn as fuel supplies and the fleet of cars on the country’s roads increased significantly. Formal tyre and rubber industries did not respond to the signs of economic recovery as investors maintained a wait and see attitude.
“Since the tyre industry was highly cash intensive we urge government to extend loan facilities to small scale players in the tyre industry as we sustained and kept vehicles on the road. Cash capital would capacitate us to supply quality tyres to the motoring public.
Small-scale loans
“Who is benefitting from the much publicised government project loans if small-scale business people in the high density residential areas like me were not receiving anything? Where are the loans going?
“If tyre service providers in my situation were provided with business loans averaging US$400 we would provide safe and quality tyres to our clients. “With necessary resources I would employ assistants in various capacities. I would hire tyre pressure attendants, tyre menders, tyre salesmen and car washers.”
Nhehwa and other small scale business people in his situation, bemoaned their exclusion from Members of Parliament Community Development Projects, sponsored by the government Constitution Development Fund (CDF).
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