Machinga Complex turns white elephant

 The business community has urged the Dar es Salaam City Council to device means of making the Business Park popularly known as Machinga Complex to be more attractive to customers than it has been the case.

Speaking in an exclusive interview at the Machinga Complex on Saturday, one of the traders at the market Leonard John Madete noted that the decision by the city fathers to restrict commuter buses to pass by Karume bus stop through the Machinga Complex has to a great extent made complex virtually deserted.

“ All in all since is still a little number of customers that are visiting the market for buying products even after the Machinga complex became a new commuter stand for daladala that come from Tabata, Buguruni, Vingunguti and others that are plying via Ilala,” he said
Another trader at the market, Emmanuel Mtui commended said the market is performing poorly because it is being undermined by failure of the city fathers to find new approaches to attract customers.

Mtui also noted that there is little space at a station near the Machinga complex which hinders more people to drop for shopping.

“There is a garage that operates neat the bus stop which has to a great extent occupied the area which makes not conducive for potential customers,” he said, noting, “we urge the authority to look on this matter before thinking for other ways of increasing the number of customers at the market, “he noted. He said there were a number of businessmen at Mchikichini market in Dar es Salaam who have moved from here selling their goods on the ground but because they have enough space have many customers.

For his part, Selestine Fransic, also a petty trader said the area is not visited by many costumers because many traders have moved away fro the area and therefore they is not much they can get from the complex except for the few goods sold by few traders.

“Customers would always want to buy all the commodities they want at one place to avoid transport costs to various shopping centres. Here we only have bags, radios, khangas and other few commodities.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN