Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Organisation

05/08/2026

The 2026 Matobo Expo and Agric Show in Maphisa hosted by Matobo Rural District Council wrapped up yesterday, and the energy over the last two days was incredible. We watched smallholder farmers show up with everything from fresh produce to saplings. Seeing our Integrated Market Aggregation Linking Markets and Innovation (IMALI) Project beneficiaries actively selling and making new connections reminded us exactly why market linkages matter. We also took home the prize and certificate for third best display in the business sector category. This recognition means a lot to the Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Organisation (BVTO). We also met with great organizations like CAMFED - Campaign for Female Education , SNV Zimbabwe , and AFC Holdings.

03/08/2026

What an electric start to the Matobo District Agricultural Business Expo 2026! 🚜 Day 1, themed "Sowing Seeds," brought out an amazing community of smallholder farmers showcasing everything from fresh and dried produce to seeds and saplings. Emotion-driven posts that focus on real stories of impact create the strongest connections, and today we saw those stories firsthand.

It was a proud moment for BVTO to interact with beneficiaries of the Integrated Market Aggregation Linking Markets and Innovation (IMALI) Project. We witnessed how these farmers are actively transforming farming and informal trading into sustainable business models.

The absolute highlight of our day? BVTO took home 3rd place overall in the Business Stands Category! 🏆 We are immensely grateful for the dedication of our team and the continued partnership of We Effect and the Swedish Embassy.

Tomorrow is Day 2: "Growing Flavours," focusing on markets and value addition. If you are at the expo, drop by our stand to say hello!

27/07/2026

From Skills to Sustainable Enterprise ✂️📈

Yesterday, we met with Threadmasters Sewing Hub in Magwegwe North to review and strengthen their strategy for building a thriving, member-owned enterprise.
What started as a skills development initiative, where members learned how to design and sew garments from scratch, has evolved into a collective with a shared vision: establishing a sustainable business that generates income, creates employment, and improves the livelihoods of every member.

Together, we explored practical strategies to move the enterprise to the next level. Discussions focused on marketing, market research, governance structures, group dynamics, production planning, bulking orders, supplying retailers, retailing their own products, and scaling up production. We also identified promising markets, including schools, churches, local industries, and retail outlets, where the group's quality products can meet growing demand.
The session was highly participatory, with members actively sharing ideas on improving product quality, increasing production capacity, strengthening teamwork, enhancing governance, and expanding their market reach. Their enthusiasm, collaboration, and commitment to growth are laying a strong foundation for a resilient and successful enterprise.

At the Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Organisation (BVTO), we believe that when skills are combined with sound business strategies, strong governance, and access to markets, community enterprises can grow into sustainable businesses that create jobs, strengthen local value chains, build resilience, and transform livelihoods.

25/07/2026

BULAWAYO VENDORS AND TRADERS ORGANISATION PRESS STATEMENT ON THE TRAGIC PASSING OF THE HIGHLANDERS FC LEADERSHIP AND SUPPORTER

25 July 2026

Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Organisation (BVTO) is deeply saddened by the untimely passing of Highlanders Football Club’s Executive Chairman Rt Col Kenneth Mhlope, Vice Chairman Sifiso Siziba, senior executive Nkani Khoza and a valued club member, Mbalenhle Sibanda, who tragically lost their lives in a road traffic accident while travelling back to Bulawayo from Kariba on Thursday evening. Their sudden departure has left a void not only within the Highlanders family but across the broader Bulawayo community they served with distinction.

Our organisation had the privilege of building a meaningful partnership with the club under the visionary stewardship of Chairman Mhlope and his team. Through the Eat Well Live Well Campaign, part of the Urban Futures project supported by Hivos, we proudly sponsored flags and activations in celebration of Highlanders FC’s historic 100 years. This collaboration was more than branding, it was a shared commitment to community upliftment, healthy living, and civic pride.

We express our profound gratitude for the club’s recognition of value beyond the pitch. The leadership’s foresight and openness to partnership demonstrated a rare understanding that football is a social institution, woven into the economic and cultural fabric of Bulawayo. By embracing informal traders and vendors as stakeholders in the 100-year celebrations, Chairman Mhlope, Vice Chairman Siziba, and their colleagues affirmed that Highlanders belongs to the people.

Their visionary approach created space for inclusive development, where sport, livelihoods, and urban resilience intersect. As an organisation representing thousands of vendors and traders, we were honored to walk this journey with them. We mourn their loss deeply, but we also celebrate the legacy of progressive leadership they leave behind.

To the Mhlope, Siziba, Khoza and Sibanda families, to the Highlanders FC board, secretariat, players, supporters, and the entire Bosso community, we extend our heartfelt condolences. May their souls rest in eternal peace, and may their vision for a united, empowered Bulawayo live on through all of us who remain.

Issued by:
BVTO Information and Publicity Unit
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23/07/2026

From seed to fruit-bearing trees, our latest students at the Bulawayo Projects Centre are proving that urban agriculture is the ultimate high-profit business opportunity.

​Did you know that over 40% of urban households across Sub-Saharan Africa engage in urban farming? Here in Bulawayo, those green thumb skills are transforming into real green enterprises, sustainable livelihoods, and local economic growth.

​Through our hands-on Urban Agriculture course, these future agropreneurs learned how to turn small city spaces into thriving businesses. They did not just learn how to plant.

They mastered:

•​Selecting and harvesting top-tier seeds to guarantee strong crops.

•​Advanced propagation techniques to nurture healthy, resilient plants

•​Professional packaging and visual presentation designed to capture attention and command higher market prices

​When you combine practical farming skills with sharp market strategy, small urban spaces yield big financial returns.

23/07/2026

21/07/2026

Our boardroom was filled with a sea of navy-blue branded worksuits as participants from the IMALI TVET Programme came together for a reflection and feedback session on the past month's journey.

The session provided an opportunity for students to celebrate their achievements, reflect on lessons learned, share their aspirations, and discuss how the programme has challenged them to think differently as emerging entrepreneurs. Participants also explored gaps within their communities and markets, presenting practical business ideas and strategies for how they intend to apply their newly acquired skills to build sustainable livelihoods.

Representing a diverse range of vocational disciplines, the participants included students from:
• Cutting and Design
• Welding and Metal Fabrication
• Hotel and Culinary Studies
• ICT
• Motor Mechanics
• Urban Agriculture

These conversations reaffirmed the importance of equipping communities with practical, market-driven skills while nurturing an entrepreneurial mindset. The journey is only beginning, and we look forward to supporting these aspiring entrepreneurs as they continue to grow, innovate, and contribute to stronger local economies.

20/07/2026

For by !!!
Today The City of Bulawayo consortium is designing and making raised beds as part of our drive. Raised beds will ensure:
1 individuals unable to access and fully utilise ground level can also cultivate and plant their crops;
2 Limit soil erosion during the rainy season;
3 Avoids leaching
4 it serves as a water conservation mechanism
5 also preserving nutrients within the soil.

Gratitude to Hivos Regional Office Southern Africa whose support has taken us this far.

16/07/2026

Three weeks into the IMALI Project’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) program, students in our Hotel and Culinary Studies course are mastering the skills they need to thrive in the hospitality industry! As our most highly enrolled course, these students are being honed by the Bulawayo Projects Centre - BPC team to learn how to prepare hotel-standard dishes and perfectly structure three-course meals for both Western and Traditional cuisines. 🍰🥘

​Beyond the kitchen, they are also mastering the business of culinary arts—learning essential budgeting and marketing skills to turn their passion into profitable ventures. 📈

​Thanks to the Embassy of Sweden in Harare and We Effect Southern Africa this hands-on, real-world training has become possible, and students are excited for the future.

​We will be featuring a different course every day, so stay tuned to see what else is happening in our training centers!

10/07/2026

The sparks in the workshop are more than just a byproduct of grinding metal - they are the start of sustainable livelihoods. Three weeks into the IMALI Project’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) program, students in our Welding and Metal Fabrication course are mastering the skills they need to establish themselves in the industry. Thanks to the Embassy of Sweden in Harare and We Effect Southern Africa this hands-on training focuses on real-world application. We will be featuring a different course every day, so stay tuned to see what else is happening in the workshops.