Brick moulders in Hopley are facing a bleak future as the erratic water supplies, cost of wood to cure their bricks and the liquidity crunch take a bite on their only source of income in an economy facing its second nmeltdown in a decade.
A visit to one of the projects revealed the struggles Tavaka Brick was going through, with members skeptical if the project would weather the economic storms.
“Our sponsor is failing to provide the materials required for entire processing of farm bricks. It has affected us a lot. We understand the current situation, how it has also affected our sponsor,” said Ephraim Manhando, a project beneficiary.
Manhando reiterated that the current economic atmosphere had resulted in fall of their production.
“Our sales dropped sharply from November 2018. We had a better market share, but now it all changed. A thousand bricks now cost $250 from $400. This simply shows that things are not stable, because the sponsor will get his commission from every sale and we also need to survive. We are feeling the pain and considering closing shop. ”
Evidence Kagumba, project benefactor said the operations faced a bleak future due to liquidity crunch, hyperinflation and inadequate water supplies.
“The funds are now hard to get as there is no progress in the construction industry. The market these days is down because people are no longer building due to the economic meltdown. The water supplies are now erratic.”
“The sales of farm bricks have slumped and we cannot purchase firewood and coal for the whole process to be complete and there is no reasonable return on capital invested,” Kagumba added.
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By Erasmus Mabhebhura
