In pandemic, Zimbabwean peddlers take it on the road

HARARE, Zimbabwe -- Cars have become mobile markets in Zimbabwe where enterprising residents are selling goods from their vehicles to cope with economic hardships caused by the coronavirus.

In the trunk of a Mercedes, packets of rice, sugar and candy are neatly laid next to baby clothes, while blankets are displayed on the roof. The owner invites passers-by to take a look, as he keeps a lookout for police. Such unlicensed street vending is illegal and police have made a few arrests, but not enough to discourage the widespread practice.

Shelton Marange worked as a mechanic before he was laid off in May. Nowadays, he braves the southern hemisphere's chilly winter weather and the risk of arrest or contracting coronavirus to drive to a village 18 miles away at dawn to buy vegetables from rural farmers. Then he heads back to Harare to resell the goods from the back of his small truck.

"These are my bolts, nuts, spanners these days," he said, pointing to cabbages, carrots, tomatoes, onions and potatoes packed in the back of the pickup.

[CORONAVIRUS: Click here for our complete coverage » arkansasonline.com/coronavirus]

To beat the competition, many of whom stay in one spot, Marange moves around, selling his produce from spot to spot from morning until dusk.

Zimbabwe's economy was already in the doldrums before the coronavirus, beset by rising inflation, the declining value of the local currency, high unemployment, and acute shortages of water, electricity and gas.

The country's economy is likely to decline by more than 10% this year, considerably more than the 3.2% contraction projected for the entire sub-Saharan Africa economy, according to the International Monetary Fund.

Unable to cope with the double burden of the economic decline and restrictions caused by the coronavirus, many of the few industries and companies still operating in Zimbabwe are either closing down or cutting jobs.

[Gallery not loading above? Click here for more photos » arkansasonline.com/716car/]

Selling from cars is also prevalent in other parts of Africa.

Joseph Chege used to be an electronics dealer on the outskirts of Kenya's capital, Nairobi, but covid-19 restrictions forced him to close his business. Faced with payments for loans he had taken to expand his now-shut business, Chege says he had to come up with a quick alternative to meet his financial obligations.

He realized that demand for food had remained the same but there was a shortfall in supply in Nairobi because of movement restrictions. He also realized that the farmers in his community were not able to sell their produce because the local market had been closed by a ban on crowded places.

Chege went around farms and bought the best produce at the cheapest price and then drove to the populated neighborhoods in Nairobi, parked his car, and opened the trunk to display the fresh produce.

"It did not take long and before lunch-time I was out of stock, so I drove back and got more produce," he said.

Chege says that the profit from selling vegetables and fruits is significantly less than what he used to make but he is grateful to be able to meet some of his financial obligations when many people are losing their livelihoods.

Information for this article was contributed by Tom Odula of The Associated Press.