Traders at the Glen View Area 8 Home Industry Complex have blamed extortion syndicates within the market’s management committees for the recurrent fires that have destroyed millions of dollars’ worth of property.
The allegations surfaced barely 24 hours after a devastating inferno—the 14th in two decades—decimated a section of the complex, destroying goods worth thousands of dollars and leaving hundreds of small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) stranded.
The growing anger emerged on Monday as carpenters began rebuilding their stalls, defying local authority directives issued following Sunday’s assessment tour of the disaster site.
Traders who spoke to The Herald claimed the frequent fires are not accidental, but are instead acts of deliberate arson triggered by turf wars to control the lucrative revenue collected at the complex.
Takemore Chipagwe, one of the carpenters, alleged that whenever a new committee is appointed to manage the complex and begins collecting fees from traders, rival factions torch the site simply to sabotage the incoming leadership.
“We are appealing to the relevant authorities to intervene so that we can select leadership amongst ourselves rather than having leadership that impose themselves on us,” added Chipagwe.
Fellow trader Moment Mukuchura alleged that the hub is run not by furniture makers, but by youths who fight over levies at the expense of genuine tradespeople.
“For the past few months, we hadn’t been paying anyone and had no problems. The issues only started when we began paying US$3 per month for each carpenter, plus $1 for every item bought here,” said Mukuchura.
“There is a group at the gate calling themselves ‘the gate leadership’ who aren’t even carpenters.
“Whenever they start collecting money, another disgruntled group decides to sabotage them.”
Maxwell Mugedya, who lost over US$3,000 worth of furniture in the blaze, expressed deep scepticism over the official explanation.
He dismissed the suspected electrical fault as a “manufactured theory,” pointing instead to internal power struggles within the complex.
“I don’t believe these fires are caused by electrical faults because we always ensure we switch off the circuit breaker before leaving,” Mugedya said.
“However, those who claim to be management have rivals. When they elbow out a competing group, the rivals always find a way to commit sabotage. The only lasting solution is for us to elect our own leadership.”
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