Times Of Swaziland: BUGANU VENDORS MAKE HUGE LOSS DUE TO STORM

BUGANU VENDORS MAKE HUGE LOSS DUE TO STORM
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Kwanele Sibiya on 17/02/2020 08:21:00


MAFUTSENI – Catastrophic!
This phrase resonates well with the plight that befell vendors from Mafutseni
area who ply their trade by selling buganu. This comes after a fierce storm hit
the area late last year - December to be precise, and destroyed all the marula
fruits, from the trees around the area. Information gathered from Cebisile
Nkonyane one of the vendors, who plies her trade by selling the much talked
about seasonal brew, was to the effect that as a result of the calamity that
struck the area, all the marula vendors have been propelled to purchase buganu
from surrounding areas with an intention to sell it to their reliable customers.
She pointed out that before the storm caused the havoc, they were anticipating a
greater harvest given the fact that there was a surplus of the marula fruits on
most of the tress in the area.
Enormous
“We were looking forward to obtaining an enormous harvest this year
particularly because there were numerous fruits on the tress but when the storm
came, our hope diminished as it destroyed all the marula fruits from the
trees,” she said. She pointed out that had it not been for the storm they
would have made a lot of money this year from selling the brew.
Nkonyane said due to the intensity of the storm, she and a majority of the
vendors around the area had been forced to commute to surrounding areas to
purchase the much sought after marula fruits in a bid to satisfy their
unwavering customers. She mentioned that when this reporter approached her, she
had just returned from Entandweni to procure the emaganu to brew and sell to her
customers.
When asked how the situation of the shortage of the marula fruits was affecting
them, she cited that the intensity of the damage caused by the disaster in their
line of business was unspeakable.   This she said was because in previous years,
they would just fetch the marula from trees situated within their homesteads
without having to waste even a cent on hiring motor vehicles, let alone paying
out transport fares  to obtain the fruits.
Alternative
However, she said due to the scarcity of the marula fruits around the area, they
had no alternative but to rent cars which would ferry the fruits from various
areas as well as pay for it.
“The process of buying and hiring a motor vehicle to transport the marula is
so horrifying if you take into account the recent fuel and bus fare hikes,”
she said.