Kwekwe mayor Angeline Kasipo has accused the Office of the President and Cabinet of moving vendors in the Midlands city to new venues which have a high potential of exposing the public to COVID-19.
The mayor speaks after security forces unilaterally ordered informal traders to move from the popular Kwekwe Farmers Market in Mbizo 4 and ordered them to move to Mbizo 2, 7 and 16 to decongest Mbizo 4.
The security forces reportedly said the move was meant to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Mayor Kasipo said the new site has no required facilities such as toilets. She said:
That place is not conducive. It is posing the same challenges which were there at Mbizo 4, and coupled with over-crowding, we are sitting on a Covid-19 time bomb.
Meanwhile, Kwekwe City Council health director, John Bandama said in addition to the fact that the new sites are not good for business, the local government authority will have a difficult time collecting taxes from vendors.
Deputy mayor Shadreck Tobaiwa also criticised the move and called on the Kwekwe Covid-19 taskforce to consult the local authority before making any far-reaching decisions.
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