By Patience Gondo
ALLETAH Moyo (not her real name) frowns at the persistent rains as she watches from her street corner market in Dulivhadzimu.
Her target was to make an extra R500 from the fresh dried Mopani Worms she sourced at the weekend.
She had packed her product and hoped to catch early customers going to back schools.
But the weather has not looked at her plans, neither did it consider those of the hundreds of vendors at Beitbridge.
Moyo’s situation is like hundreds of other vendors in Beitbridge whose business stops if it starts to rain.
In the usually dry town of Beitbridge, rain is not part of the routine.
The town is better known for dust, heat and constant movement as traders, travellers and transporters depend on uninterrupted activity around the border post.
Shortly after midnight, that routine breaks. Rain begins to fall quietly, then steadily, soaking the ground and settling into spaces normally occupied by informal traders.
By morning, Beitbridge looks unfamiliar. Dusty pathways turn muddy stalls remain half empty and early trading slows.
For many residents, the rain arrives with uncertainty. Informal trade is the backbone of the town’s economy and daily survival depends on movement. When rain falls, business stalls.
At Tshitaudze Shopping Mall (Mashavire), traders delay setting up watching the sky. Some attempt to trade under plastic sheets, while others stay away, fearing damage to goods.
Movement around the border is noticeably slower. Travellers walk cautiously, shielding passports and cash, while cross border traders and transport operators face delays at loading points.
Ward councillor Mahachi says the impact is already widespread.
“Since midnight, we have rains in Beitbridge. This situation has affected a number of businesses, especially vendors. The old Dulibadzimu bus terminus is flooded with water and mud, forcing vendors to remain at their homes.” He said.
For residents who earn from hand to mouth, even a disrupted morning can mean no income.
“There is no industry under roofs in Beitbridge. People survive from selling daily,” says resident Bhobho Maphosa, a car parts trader.
“When it’s raining, people don’t go to work because most workspaces are in the open . Since morning, I haven’t sold anything.”
While rain is often welcomed in drought-prone regions, its impact in a trading town like Beitbridge is immediate and harsh.
The rainfall also revives a long standing local belief that residents traditionally stop rain to protect business activity, a notion quietly shared whenever unusual weather strikes.
Not everyone views the rain negatively. Some welcome the cooler temperatures after weeks of intense heat.
But as trading remains disrupted mid-morning, the rain exposes a harsh reality in Beitbridge, survival depends on daily trade. When the rain falls even briefly life slows in a town that rarely stops.