Hi Crime Watch. I am a married father of three living with a visual impairment, and my wife has a physical disability. We survive through vending and struggle to make ends meet.
In August 2022, we were featured on a TV programme about people living with disabilities on ZBC TV. In December 2022, Baker’s Inn approached us and said they wanted to help us. They promised us a container shop and a chance to distribute their bread so we could earn a living. The container was delivered in December 2022, and we were told we would earn a commission of 5 cents per loaf. In April 2023, they also gave us a scooter to help with deliveries.
However, we were expected to cover all the costs ourselves, including fuel, paying a driver, and securing the container, using only this small commission. We even had to pay a driver about US$300 while working towards daily targets.
Despite working hard, the money we received did not match our sales. For example, in December 2023, after selling 17,060 loaves in about 18 days, we were paid only US$24.30 instead of about US$853 based on the agreed commission.
Around December 2023, the company also started charging us US$115 per month for the container, even though it had been presented as support. Soon after, we were told that our account had a debt of over US$9,000. We were not clearly shown how this debt came about.
In early 2024, we requested account statements and noticed errors, including duplicate charges and an unexplained opening balance of US$2,858.92. After disputing this, the amount was reduced to about US$5,568.46, but there were still figures we could not verify. The amount we could not account for was around US$2,400.
Despite raising these concerns, Baker’s Inn stopped engaging with us and placed our account on hold, preventing us from continuing with the business.
In 2026, after about three years, the company came and took back the container without any clear explanation. All the items that had been presented as help were taken back, and no legal ownership had ever been given to us.
Because of this situation, we lost our source of income. We used our own resources trying to grow the business, and now we are left with nothing. Our family is struggling, and our child is no longer able to attend school.
We feel that we were used for publicity rather than genuinely helped. We were given hope in December 2022, but by 2026, we were left worse off than before. We are asking for help and for Baker’s Inn to respond and explain what happened.
@BakersInnZW
Entreprenuership is hard!, sometimes all you are left with is just a silent prayer. I mean what do you do when hope is fading daily and pockets are running dry. Hope no one reads this but if you are & can relate just be strong, it will pass.
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@baba_nyenyedzi@tawandamahere Friends are the best option, it's easier to have that conversation to start a business with people you atleast share most values & principles with