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Vendors for Economic Development (Vendors4ED), a shadowy grouping with close ties to the ruling ZANU PF party, which campaigned for President Emmerson Mnangagwa in the August 2023 elections, has urged its members in Harare to maintain order ahead of the upcoming Southern African Development Community (SADC) Heads of State and Government Summit scheduled for August 17 in the capital.
Samora Chisvo, the national chairperson of Vendors 4ED, said that vending cannot be completely eradicated and appealed to the group’s members to continue behaving in an orderly manner.
Chisvo said they were working well with the government, but accused the Harare City Council (HCC) of harassing their members. Said Chisvo (via <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200030513/behave-vendors-told-ahead-of-sadc-summit">NewsDay</a>):
<blockquote>
We are working well with government through the Small and Medium Enterprises ministry but HCC has remained our major challenge as we are being chased away from the streets.
As the current hosts of the SADC summit and our President being the incoming chairperson, we will be expecting the vending community to behave in a good manner because as vendors we come from different backgrounds but there is no way the vending community can be eliminated because we are part of the value chain.
</blockquote>
Harare mayor Jacob Mafume said they were not against the vending community and urged them to abide by by-laws. Said Mafume:
<blockquote>
We are not against the vending community but our concern is that they should respect the by-laws.
This is our major concern and we have been engaging vendors several times on what we expect from them.
</blockquote>
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) in conjunction with the local authority recently launched a joint effort dubbed “Operation Guta Ngarigare Rakachena” targetting illegal vendors, car wash operators and mushikashika.
Police said only licensed vendors will be allowed to operate in Harare CBD during the SADC Summit.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Pindula News

Vendors4ED, a group linked to the ruling party in Zimbabwe, wants street vendors in Harare to be orderly before the SADC Summit in August. They work with the government but have problems with the Harare City Council. The mayor says vendors should follow rules. The police are cracking down on illegal vendors before the summit. Only licensed vendors will be allowed to sell in the city during the event. All vendors are told to behave well to support the country's image.

Vendors4ED Calls For Order Ahead Of SADC Summit

Vendors in Harare have expressed strong dismay over the government’s plans to remove them from the central business district (CBD) ahead of the upcoming SADC (Southern African Development Community) Summit scheduled for next month.
The government intends to clear the Harare CBD of street vendors to enhance the city’s image and ensure a clean and orderly environment for the regional event.
Street vending has become a vital source of livelihood for many Zimbabweans, especially in the context of the country’s struggling economy.
With limited formal employment opportunities and a high rate of unemployment, informal trading has become a crucial means of survival for a significant portion of the population.
Vendor representatives argue that street vending is the only viable means of earning a living for many and that the government’s plans to relocate them will have a devastating impact on their ability to support themselves and their families.
Speaking to <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200029643/vendors-govt-head-for-showdown-over-sadc-swoop">NewsDay</a>, Zimbabwe Chamber of Informal Economy secretary-general Wisbon Malaya said:
<blockquote>
The vendors are being left behind and viewed as objects or garbage. Chasing vendors from their workplaces is further impoverishing the already poor. The implications are multiple especially this year when the country is in a drought disaster state.
Harassment, confiscation of goods, arrests and corrupt practices happening on vendors only refers to the re-invention of the colonial era.
We seek dialogue with the forces that be to find an amicable solution to the situation without abusing the vulnerable citizens.
</blockquote>
Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation executive director Samuel Wadzai said:
<blockquote>
We saw the pronouncements by the government about its plans to remove vendors. Our view is that this is ill-informed.
Why should we obliterate the livelihoods of our people simply because we want to see clean streets?
If they say they no longer need people on the streets, they should provide alternatives and identify suitable spaces so they can operate from there.
</blockquote>
Zimbabwe is scheduled to host the 44th Ordinary SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government in August 2024 in Harare where leaders from the 16 SADC Member States will convene to discuss regional policies, economic development, and cooperation.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Vendors in Harare are upset because the government wants to move them out of the central business area before a big meeting. Selling things on the street helps many Zimbabweans who can't find other jobs. Vendors say this change will make it hard for them to take care of themselves and their families. They want to talk to the government and find a good solution. They think the government should give them other places to sell their things. The big meeting is important, but the vendors hope to find a way to keep their jobs too.

Harare CBD Vendors Protest Planned Removal Ahead Of SADC Summit

Some vendors operating in Harare’s central business district (CBD) have reportedly been storing their products, which include perishable items like vegetables, bottled water, and soft drinks, inside public toilet facilities overnight. They then proceed to sell these same products to unsuspecting consumers the following day.
According to a recent report by <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200028638/harare-health-time-bombas-vendors-store-stocks-in-public-toilets">NewsDay</a>, the vendors allegedly pay fees of up to US$5 to Harare City Council caretakers, who in turn permit them to keep these foodstuffs stored in the toilet facilities overnight, ostensibly for safekeeping.
A council caretaker who spoke to NewsDay on condition of anonymity said their arrangement with vendors is a win-win one. Said the caretaker:
<blockquote>
We usually collect up to US$5 per night depending on the stock and sometimes they give us tomatoes or vegetables equivalent to US$2.
We use that money for transport to and from work because our salary is too little to take us for a month. Besides transport, we can also buy bread going home.
Sometimes a vendor can opt to give you vegetables, tomatoes or fruits as a token of appreciation.
Usually, we put their stuff inside empty boxes but it’s not every day.
It’s not easy to work as a caretaker at the council toilets. One has to be clever to the extent of making their own receipt books and collecting those few cents to take home.
However, now that there are mobile toilets situated near council toilets, it’s difficult to make money because people prefer those mobile toilets.
</blockquote>
City of Harare’s director of health services, Prosper Chonzi, said:
<blockquote>
It’s totally unacceptable, and unhealthy and this should be stopped. Those people who are conniving with the vendors should really be brought to book and brought to account because they are a danger to the health of the public at large.
</blockquote>
In Zimbabwe, the informal sector, including street vendors, makes up a significant portion of economic activity in urban areas like Harare.
Estimates suggest hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Zimbabweans, are employed in the informal sector across the country in both urban and rural areas.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Harare Vendors Stock Foodstuffs In Public Toilets

Two vendors were arraigned before Harare magistrate Ethel Chichera on Monday, charged with public violence after they allegedly assaulted Harare municipal police officers in Harare’s Central Business District.
The two, Derreck Nyeke (33) and Kelvin Chikono (40), were remanded in custody pending a full bail application this week.
Three Harare municipal police officers were last week hospitalised at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals after they were attacked with wooden sticks and sjamboks by the vendors.
Allegations are that on May 31 2024, at around 12.50 PM, the accused persons together with others, who are still at large, were selling different products along Cameroon Street close to Flyover heading towards Mbare.
They saw a group of Harare municipal police and Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officers who were arresting illegal vendors and confiscating their wares.
They allegedly took their stuff and dispersed.
After about five minutes, the accused and other vendors re-organised themselves into three groups and became violent.
They viciously attacked the municipal officers using wooden sticks and sjamboks and left three of them seriously injured.
A police Hino lorry, registration number AAE 8352, had its quarter glass damaged.
Police managed to arrest the two of the assailants and others fled from the crime scene.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Vendors Sjambok Harare Municipal Police Officers, Injure Three

The Bulawayo City Council says it has allocated 419 of the 576 vending bays along Fifth Avenue market in the central business district.
In a statement issued on Friday, Bulawayo Town Clerk Christopher Dube said the allocation processes will be completed by Wednesday, 8 May 2024. Said Dube:
<blockquote>
The City of Bulawayo would like to advise members of the public that 576 vending stalls have been demarcated along Fifth Avenue.
The allocation of these bays is in progress with all necessary due processes being carried out to ensure that the allocation process is done meticulously.
The allocation is also being done in consultation with the Informal Traders Working Group in line with Council policies.
To date, 419 vending bays, covering both the new and second-hand clothing, as well as the fruit and vegetables have been allocated and beneficiaries are doing the rest of the formalities, which include the health and hygiene requirements before moving to the site.
It is anticipated that the allocation processes will be completed by Wednesday, 8th May 2024 and, that all beneficiaries should have taken their positions by this date.
Members of the public and stakeholders are therefore requested to be patient to allow Council to complete the allocation process.
</blockquote>
This statement comes a day after several vendors were arrested in the CBD after clashing with municipal police who had moved to confiscate wares.
The informal traders also staged a demonstration, accusing the council of delaying the allocation process and also allocating the stalls to individuals who were not originally from Bulawayo.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Bulawayo City Council Has Allocated 419 Vending Bays In The CBD - Town Clerk

Vendors operating along the 5th Avenue marketplace in Bulawayo’s central business district on Thursday, 02 May clashed with municipal police following the confiscation of their wares.
Anti-riot police were called in to restore order resulting in some of the vendors being arrested and taken to the Bulawayo Central Police Station. They were made to pay admission of guilt fines and released.
<a href="https://www.chronicle.co.zw/bulawayo-vendors-clash-with-municipal-police-over-confiscated-wares/">Chronicle</a> reported that the informal traders accuse the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) of delaying allocating them spaces to sell their wares legally.
The vendors said some unscrupulous individuals masquerading as BCC officials were taking advantage of the situation and were demanding money from them.
They said they were made to pay between US$3 and US$250 to secure operating space and US$1 a day as a “protection fee” to avoid raids by municipal police.
In February this year, the City of Bulawayo temporarily closed a portion of 5th Avenue to prepare 500 trading bays to accommodate the vendors.
Those who were not allocated vending bays to operate from have become a source of concern for the local authority.
Registration is being done at Dugmore Vending Offices (former Dugmore Clinic) along Basch Street and Sixth Avenue.
According to the city council, vendors are required to pay CBD licence fees of US$23 per year and monthly rentals of $11,50 per month.
Those operating outside the city centre are required to pay US$11,50 annually while paying US$5,75 monthly rentals.
A vendor who only identified herself as Ms Ndlovu told the Chronicle that they wanted an official statement from BCC with regards to the allocation of vending bays.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Bulawayo Municipal Police Clash With Vendors Over Confiscated Wares

Informal traders in Harare say the City Council should come up with by-laws that are humane and take into account the economic realities of the country that push ordinary people into vending to make a living.
This comes after the Harare City Council introduced a set of by-laws to ban vending in the central business district (CBD) without a valid permit or lease agreement.
As reported by <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200026327/harare-heads-for-a-clash-with-vendors">NewsDay</a>, the council also banned pushcarts commonly referred to as “zvingoro” used at informal trading places in Mbare such as Magaba, Mupedzanhamo and Mbare Musika bus terminus.
Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation (VISET) executive director, Samuel Wadzai, said the new by-laws are harsh on informal traders. Said Wadzai:
<blockquote>
These laws will definitely have a huge negative impact on people who survive through vending and informal work given the status of the economy.
This is not the best time to try to outlaw vending; it’s where the majority are surviving [from].
Our view is we need by-laws that are humane, by-laws that are in sync with the economic realities of the country.
What is being proposed by Harare City Council is totally unacceptable given the status of our economy.
We will put counter proposals… we should be working together but the laws should not be there to prevent people from surviving.
</blockquote>
A representative of informal traders, Wisborn Malaya, said the local authority did not consult them before enacting the new by-laws. He said:
<blockquote>
As always the challenge we face is that the city fathers just set up laws without consultation. In the end, the laws become more abusive and destructive instead of promoting order.
The city should designate strategic places for pushcart traders to operate from in an orderly manner using a four-arrow zoning system.
This will promote order and sanity in the city. It will also allow the council to monitor the licensing of the same without struggle.
These (vendors) are the youths who are fighting to earn a living legally. It’s a source of employment and food distribution which just requires smart regulation and not harsh laws.
</blockquote>
The Harare City Council also banned “street” butcheries and noise in the central business district.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Harare City Council Heads For A Clash With Vendors

Harare Mayor, His Worship, Cllr Jacob Mafume, has responded to allegations of police brutality involving municipal officers.
The incident, captured in a viral video, shows a group of men in civilian attire assaulting a vendor. Mayor Mafume has ordered an investigation into the matter.
In a press statement, Mayor Mafume emphasized the importance of upholding human rights in policing. He stated:
<blockquote>
We are the primary police force in our city, and we interact most closely with the public. Our methods must align with human rights principles.
</blockquote>
To address this, the mayor announced plans to introduce human rights courses for officers.
Furthermore, Mafume acknowledged the need for harmony between municipal officers and vendors.
He emphasized that the institution’s image must be protected, and appropriate disciplinary measures will be taken if the perpetrators are indeed city employees.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume Orders Probe Into Vendor Assault

The City of Bulawayo has finally yielded to pressure from residents to allow informal traders operating at the 5th Avenue market in the city centre to operate legally.
Bulawayo Town Clerk Christopher Dube announced the latest development in a statement issued on Thursday, 08 February. He said:
<blockquote>
The Bulawayo City Council at its meeting of 7 February 2024 resolved to temporarily close a portion of 5th Avenue to accommodate 500 informal trading bays.
The closure of a portion of 5th Avenue will comply with the Roads Act Chapter 13:13 Part VI Section 33 and rescind previous Council resolutions of 3rd June 2020 and 7 December 2022.
The portion of 5th Avenue will now have two riding lanes and vending bays for the 500 informal traders.
Council recognises the need to strike a balance amongst multiple functionalities such as parking, informal trading, vehicular traffic movement and access to property by property owners, hence the closure of a portion of 5th Avenue.
The temporary closure will ensure that all road users including property owners from the Southern side can park their vehicles close to their working spaces.
The decision to temporarily close 5th Avenue is a result of stakeholder engagement and further dovetails into the City of Bulawayo’s strategy to enhance local economic development through the provision of accessible and affordable working spaces.
The temporary closure of 5th Avenue will be complemented by the establishment of a new vending site for clothing and fruits along Lobengula Street between the 2nd Avenue terminus and the municipal Roads Yard.
We expect all traders on 5th Avenue to vacate the road to allow the implementation of the Council resolution. 
The execution of the resolution will entail cleaning the area, demarcation of bays, construction of safe working spaces and allocation of vending bays in the usual manner.
</blockquote>
Dube said to be registered, informal traders should produce a copy of their identity document (I.D), processed fingerprint forms, proof of residence for a property in Bulawayo, two passport-size photos and requisite fees for the licence.
He said for those trading in fruits and vegetables, pre-examination for contagious diseases and lessons on food handling with the City of Bulawayo Health Services Department (Khami Road Clinic) is required.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Bulawayo City Council Legalises Vending In CBD

The Bulawayo Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) has commended the City of Bulawayo for giving an ultimatum to illegal vendors to vacate the streets, saying trading is a way to make a living but it needs to be done in an orderly manner.
This comes after the Bulawayo Town Clerk issued a statement advising illegal informal traders to move to designated sites no later than Friday, 9 February 2024.
Dube warned that “the full force of the law will be implemented against those who continue to breach the relevant bylaws both immediately, after the deadline and going forward .”
As reported by the <a href="https://www.chronicle.co.zw/bulawayo-chamber-of-smes-applauds-city-councils-move-to-restore-order-and-remove-illegal-vendors/">Chronicle</a>, Bulawayo Chamber of SMEs coordinator Nketa Mangoye Dlamini said the Urban Councils Act mandate the council to govern all economic and social activities in the city including CBD, residential areas, all economic zones and other activities. Said Dlamini:
<blockquote>
The ultimatum to say let’s restore order is important as it follows the law. If you look around, what’s happening now in Bulawayo, there is chaos, we want SMEs to prosper and we want development in the country and we want SMEs to start up and grow but all these things have to be done in a well-planned orderly manner.
When you look at the streets that are currently occupied by illegal vendors, both pedestrians and vehicles can hardly move because streets and pavements are jammed.
</blockquote>
He expressed concern over the lack of ablution facilities, which becomes a health threat with the growing concern about the cholera outbreak. Added Dlamini:
<blockquote>
There is a need to restore order and sanity in the city, Bulawayo is no longer as clean as it was, we cannot have a situation where everyone does as he or she pleases but when things turn bad fingers are pointed at the city council, that is not proper.
Bulawayo Chamber of SMEs promotes the formalisation of businesses. We encourage them to formalise and we train them and encourage them to follow business ethics and to occupy spaces as given by authorities.
</blockquote>
Meanwhile, the City of Bulawayo has advised residents that the transporting of commuters from Egodini shall begin on Monday 5th February 2024.
<img alt="Image" decoding="async" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GFV00pVXcAAEO-j?format=jpg&amp;name=large"/><img alt="Image" decoding="async" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GFV00paWkAAsD_h?format=jpg&amp;name=large"/>
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Bulawayo Chamber Of SMEs Commends Council's Move To Remove Street Vendors

The Bulawayo City Council has ordered street vendors to stop trading from undesignated sites by 09 February or be chased away by municipal police.
In a statement, City of Bulawayo Town Clerk Christopher Dube said all informal traders in the city must have a valid Vendors Licence. He said:
<blockquote>
All illegal informal traders are warned and advised to move to designated sites no later than February 9, 2024.
Registered informal traders who have abandoned their bays and/or are not paying the requested council fees are advised to return to their bays and regularise their operations.
All informal traders in Bulawayo are required to have a valid Vendors Licence.
</blockquote>
As reported by <a href="https://www.zimlive.com/bulawayo-gives-illegal-vendors-public-transporters-february-9-ultimatum/">ZimLive</a>, kombis (commuter omnibuses) are also being moved back to Egodini after eight years following the completion of the first phase of a project to build a mall.
The mall has 400 vending stalls with 350 more set to be added.
Bulawayo mayor David Coltart estimates 5 000 street vendors are trading in the CBD, a large majority of them illegally.
The council charges monthly rentals of US$11.50 for CBD bays or a one-off annual fee of US$23.
Outside the CBD the charges are US$5.75 per month and a one-off annual fee of US$11.50. 
The local authority also warned it clamp down on a wide range of illegal activities, including the washing of cars in the city centre, street vehicle repairs, public transport operators using illegal pick-up points, vehicles delivering farm produce and littering. Added Dube:
<blockquote>
The City of Bulawayo will be conducting an exercise to eliminate all illegal activities to restore order and cleanliness.
All informal traders are requested to keep the city clean by ensuring that their trading places are cleared after trading hours and are further advised that the full force of the law will be implemented against those who continue to breach the relevant bylaws both immediately, after the deadline and going forward.
</blockquote>
Meanwhile, the City of Bulawayo has advised residents that the transporting of commuters from Egodini shall begin on Monday 5th February 2024.
The high rate of unemployment in Zimbabwe has pushed thousands of people into vending, with most of the traders operating from undesignated places such as pavements in urban areas.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Bulawayo Council Orders Illegal Vendors, Public Transporters To Vacate CBD By 09 February

The Harare City Council has conceded that the removal of street vendors has been a failure.
The Government recently ordered the local authority to remove vendors from the streets in the Central Business District to curb the spread of cholera which has since been detected in almost all districts in the country.
On Wednesday, several senior Government officials met with the media to give an update on the state of water, sanitation, hygiene and current cholera outbreak control in Zimbabwe.
Speaking at the meeting, City of Harare health services department director Dr Prosper Chonzi said (<a href="https://www.chronicle.co.zw/we-have-failed-to-remove-vendors-harare-city-council/">via Chronicle</a>):
<blockquote>
An order was made for us to remove all the food vendors in Harare to ensure that our streets are clean. But as you have seen we haven’t done very well there.
The general economy is playing against us. We have been playing hide and seek after vendors and it isn’t working.
We are glad now that the Government has come up with Chenesa Harare, and if we clean up for now then we come up with medium and long-term plans to maintain the clean environment that’s there.
As the Director of Health in the City, I’m not happy with the vending situation in the city, it’s plain against what we are trying to achieve and contain the outbreak. And trying to enforce not giving us the intended results.
</blockquote>
Chonzi said there must be a change of mindset and residents should know that they risk contracting diseases by buying food from uninspected places.
As of 24 January 2024, Zimbabwe had 20 446 suspected Cholera cases, 2 324 confirmed cases, 19 711 recoveries, 71 confirmed deaths and 381 suspected deaths.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Harare City Council Concedes Failure To Remove Street Vendors

Midlands Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, <a href="https://pindula.co.zw/Owen_Ncube">Owen Ncube</a> said that he was worried over the unending running battles between police and vendors.
Speaking during the first Midlands province clean-up campaign in 2024 at Mbizo vegetable market, Ncube said local authorities should come up with sound revenue collection strategies instead of engaging in running battles with vendors.
Ncube also castigated rogue municipal police and space barons who allegedly demanded bribes from vendors. He said (<a href="https://newziana.co.zw/2024/01/19/stop-running-battles-with-vendors/">via New Ziana</a>):
<blockquote>
We fully support revenue collection by local authorities as it is the basis upon which service delivery is built.
However, local authorities should be innovative in creating revenue streams like developing proper vending sites and regularise them to collect revenue and avoid running battles with vendors.
The practice by some rogue municipal police and space barons who fleece vendors by demanding and 
receiving bribes from desperate vendors should end as the full wrath of the law will be applied without fear or favour.
</blockquote>
Ncube said the Government intends to make clean-up campaigns mandatory and the illegal disposal of waste to be a punishable offence.
He urged local authorities to ensure enforcement of waste management by-laws to curb illegal waste dumping.
Ncube said business centres should have waste pickers and infrastructure that promotes litter collection, separation and recycling.
The high rate of unemployment in Zimbabwe has pushed hundreds of thousands of people into vending, with most of the traders operating from undesignated places such as pavements.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Owen Ncube Tells Local Authorities To Stop Running Battles With Vendors

Scores of young Mozambican men are eking out a living on the streets of Harare by selling sweets and mobile airtime vouchers.
According to <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200021414/mozambican-hustlers-take-over-hre-streets">NewsDay</a>, the Mozambicans, popularly known as mano, which means a boy in the Mozambican language, are driven from their country by limited economic opportunities and civil war.
22-year-old Gabriel told NewsDay that in Mozambique, “there is nothing”. He added:
<blockquote>
Here (in Zimbabwe), I can send money home, and build a future.
</blockquote>
However, “mano” face several challenges on Harare’s streets, which include competition from Zimbabwean vendors and the constant threat of arrest and deportation due to their irregular migrant status.
At times, they are exploited by unscrupulous middlemen and are always at risk of losing their wares and meagre earnings. Said 21-year-old Ricardo:
<blockquote>
Some of the police and municipal police take advantage of us because they know that we have no proper immigration documents.
They sometimes take our stuff. It’s not easy. The competition, sometimes people don’t trust us. But we have to keep going. We have families depending on us.
</blockquote>
However, the language barrier is a minor issue as most of them come from Manica Province where a certain version of the Shona dialect is spoken.
The Mozambicans sell their products to taxi drivers and learners. Tariro Nyatanga, a young office worker in Graniteside Industrial Area, said:
<blockquote>
Their airtime is convenient as they walk around, and their candies brighten my day. They add a bit of vibrancy to the city.
[However], it’s tough for them. They are always looking over their shoulders, worried about getting caught.
</blockquote>
In the evening, the Mozambicans retreat to their lodgings in Mbare, where they share a single bedroom and use a communal kitchen.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Zimbabwe was, in 2021, still home to approximately 8 000 Mozambican refugees and asylum seekers who fled the country due to political instability or for other reasons.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Mozambican Hustlers "Flood" Harare Streets

The City of Gweru has warned residents against buying fish and chicken from street vendors saying they risked contracting diseases from the uninspected food items.
The <a href="https://newsday.co.zw/southerneye/local/article/200021299/gweru-warns-residents-about-street-food-vendors">Southern Eye</a> reported that some vendors were selling fish caught from some sections of Gweru River that are contaminated with raw sewage.
In a recent statement, the local authority urged residents to buy white meat only from registered suppliers. It said:
<blockquote>
We have noted with concern the selling of fish and chicken on the pavements within the central business district.
Please be advised that such meat is being sold from undesignated places in contravention of the public health legislation and the city health by-laws.
All white meat should be kept frozen and sold from approved and licensed premises.
Let us prevent the introduction and spread of food-borne illnesses by buying our food products from registered and reputable suppliers only.
</blockquote>
Gweru Hawkers and Vendors Association chairperson Lovemore Tingaka told the Southern Eye that they do not encourage vendors to sell meat on the streets. Said Tingaka:
<blockquote>
As a vendors association, we have always pushed for the cause of informal traders, but when it comes to food, we have always encouraged our vendors to have an understanding of the dangers of selling food, particularly meat from the streets.
</blockquote>
Zimbabwe’s seemingly unending economic challenges and low disposable incomes have forced hundreds of thousands of people to make a living out of vending.
Vendors sell products at lower prices compared to formal shops and this attracts significant numbers of consumers to streets and pavements.
However, it is not possible for authorities to police food vendors thereby putting the health and lives of consumers at risk.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Gweru Council Warns Residents Against Buying Meat From Vendors

ZANU PF members reportedly assaulted a Bulawayo-based journalist and damaged her phone on Monday.
<a href="https://cite.org.zw/byo-journalist-assaulted-by-zanu-pf-members/">CITE</a> reported that the journalist, Annahstacia Ndlovu, who writes for Voice of America (VOA), was covering clashes at the Fifth Avenue market where ZANU PF members were chasing away vendors who are not card-carrying members from their vending bays.
She said she and other freelance journalists were at the Bulawayo Media Centre when they received an alert from informal traders from the market about the skirmishes. She said:
<blockquote>
After receiving word on the violence, I with other journalists namely, Tuso Pamenus, Lungelo Ndlovu and Simbarashe Muparangada rushed to the market to see and capture what was happening there.
</blockquote>
Ndlovu said while she was interviewing the affected vendors, the ZANU PF members returned and accosted her demanding that she stops recording. She said:
<blockquote>
Luckily enough, I captured them in the video as they approached us. Those ZANU PF men told me not to take the video and asked me who I was.
I introduced myself as a journalist but they ordered me to delete the video I had taken.
They pushed me to their vehicle while assaulting me as their other accomplices ran away.
I asked them why they were beating me but they didn’t answer as they took away my mobile phone.
</blockquote>
She said she recognised the individuals who attacked her and that she had reported the incident to the police.
Ndlovu was in Gweru the previous day, on Sunday, covering the CCC rally at Mkoba Stadium and still had footage of the event on her phone.
She said after her assailants went through the footage, they accused her of being “Chamisa’s person” and deleted some videos.
The journalist said her attackers did not destroy the phone, but her other phone, an iPhone fell to the ground and was damaged.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

ZANU PF Members Assault Journalist

The Harare City Council is conducting a joint enforcement operation aimed at clearing all illegal activities in the Central Business District (CBD) and all residential areas.
Writing for the City of Harare, Bornwise Mtonzi said the Harare Municipal Police, Development Control Unit, and Amenities, are targeting all illegal vendors, buildings, abandoned vehicles parked along roadsides, and street car washing among others.
The joint operation is in line with a special council resolution made on the 7th of February 2023 by the Environmental Management Committee targetting the City’s bus termini and CBD.
All goods confiscated during the operation shall be taken to the Harare Municipal Police.
Impounded vehicles will be sent to the central stores compound with penalty tickets being issued to offenders.
Acting Amenities head Lisben Chipfunde was quoted as saying:
<blockquote>
This is a special operation that we were not conducting about anti-littering which is so rampant throughout the city.
The Environmental Management Committee resolved that we should start to enforce the statutory Instrument 30 of 2016 which is an anti-litter by-law.
The By-Law states that if any individual is caught throwing litter everywhere is required to pay a fine.
</blockquote>
He added that industries or companies also caught on the wrong side of the law shall all pay fines.
Fines for domestic waste from a standard-size receptacle/cart is US$36, while for domestic waste from a vehicle, one is supposed to pay US$113.
The fine for industrial all commercial waste dumping is US$385 or paid on the prevailing bank rate.
Chipfunde said termini targeted are Speke Avenue (Copa Cabana), Market Square, Charge Office and Simon Vengesai Muzenda (Fourth Street).
More: <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Harare City Council Plans To Clamp Down On Illegal Activities

There was chaos at the Beitbridge Border Post on Monday as hundreds of Zimbabwean cross-border traders desperately tried to leave South Africa before a national shutdown led by the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), reported <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200009110/hundreds-stranded-at-beitbridge">NewsDay</a>.
The EFF led by Julius Malema called for a national shutdown on 20 March to force South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to step down, accusing him of corruption.
The protesters were also demanding the restoration of electricity and an end to load shedding.
Zimbabwe Chamber of Informal Economy secretary-general Wisbon Malaya told NewsDay that hundreds of Zimbabwean cross-border traders had their goods confiscated by South African police. Said Malaya:
<blockquote>
Actually, I am on my way from South Africa. On Friday, I witnessed the Gauteng Police arresting and confiscating the goods of street traders that are not South Africans.
On Sunday, several cross-border traders tried to come back home in a rush before the protests causing chaos at the border.
Thousands of goods such as blankets, carpets, cooking oil, yogurt, and other dairy and poultry products were confiscated.
I witnessed poor women and cross-border traders looking hopeless at the border.
One old lady fainted at the border after a load of her onions was confiscated.
There is a need to educate cross-border traders about what is allowed and not allowed at the border post, as well as how to register to trade commercially in order to operate safely.
</blockquote>
Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation (VISET) executive director Samuel Wadzai said the situation in South Africa is worrisome. He said:
<blockquote>
The prevailing situation is worrying. We have seen the deployment of the military in SA, and this will severely affect cross-border traders’ ability to trade in the neighbouring country.
</blockquote>
More: <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

EFF Shutdown: Zimbabwean Traders Lose Goods At Beitbridge Border Post

Vendors and hawkers have been warned against taking children to vending sites, whether designated or undesignated, as this is against the law.
Susan Ngani, who is the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare’s Harare provincial social welfare officer, told <a href="https://www.sundaymail.co.zw/illegal-vending-in-town-with-kids-an-offence-day-care-centre-set-to-be-established">The Sunday Mail</a> that Child Justice Bill will empower authorities take the parents to court for prosecution. She said:
<blockquote>
These children are being abused, so, under the Child Justice Bill, we will be able to arrest and take these parents to court for prosecution.
</blockquote>
Ngani said the Children’s Act has been in existence for some time although it was not being enforced.
She said the government was working on a Child Justice Bill for the protection of children’s rights. Part of Chapter 5:06 of the Children’s Act reads:
<blockquote>
Any parent or guardian of a child or young person who allows that child or young person or any person who causes any child or young person — (a) to beg; or (b) to accompany him or any other person while he begs; or (c) to induce or to endeavour to induce the giving of alms; or (d) to perform or be exhibited in any way for public entertainment in a manner likely to be detrimental to the child’s or young person’s health, morals, mind or body; shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine or to imprisonment.
</blockquote>
Ngani said a day-care centre is set to be established in Harare’s central business district (CBD) for vendors and parents working in town to leave their children under the care of skilled social workers during the day. She said:
<blockquote>
A building has already been identified for that. Globally, daycare centres have become popular. This initiative was long overdue.
We are also engaging traditional leaders to ensure all children in villages go to school to break the cycle of poverty in all areas.
</blockquote>
Harare City Council acting spokesperson Innocent Ruwende said all offending vendors are ferried in council trucks regardless of their parental status.
More: <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Vending In Town With Kids A Criminal Offence - Govt

Zimbabwean vendors in Victoria Falls have urged the local authority to ensure that hawkers from Zambia respect the city’s by-laws.
A report by the <a href="https://globalpressjournal.com/africa/zimbabwe/return-zambian-vendors-rattles-merchants-victoria-falls/">Global Press Journal</a> indicates that Zambian vendors have taken advantage of the reopening of the Zimbabwe-Zambia border to travel to Victoria Falls to sell fruits and vegetables.
The border was closed in 2020 as a precautionary measure to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
The Zambian vendors, popularly known as omzanga, a Nyanja term meaning “friend,” cross the Victoria Falls Bridge en route to Zimbabwe every morning to sell vegetables.
A local vendor, Sikhulile Ngwenya who has been in the business for 10 years, said she feels a constant threat and uncertainty looming over her livelihood.
The Zambian vendors reportedly sell their fruits and vegetables and low prices because they source their products from farms that are close to the border with Zimbabwe.
Their Zimbabwean counterparts are however, forced to sell at higher prices as they source their produce from places like Lupane, 264 kilometers (164 miles) away; Bulawayo, 435 kilometers (270 miles) away; and sometimes as far as Harare, 874 kilometers (543 miles) away.
Local vendors also must operate from their designated spots in the markets, and pay rentals to the Victoria Falls City Council, while the Zambian vendors can move door to door.
Ngwenya said she pays US$16 a month to the council. She said during the first lockdown, she made US$15 to US$25 a day, but now she makes US$10 to US$15 a day. Ngwenya said:
<blockquote>
Because vendors sell door to door, our customers no longer visit the market.
This is now a threat to our livelihoods as we no longer sell much because residents would rather wait for the Zambian vendors sitting in their homes.
</blockquote>
Grace Shoko, who is the vice chairperson of the Zambezi Informal Cross Border Traders Association (ZICBTA) accused Zambian vendors of “stealing” their customers.
ZICBTA was founded in late 2021 in Victoria Falls to resolve issues between local and Zambian traders.
Naomi, a Zambian vendor, said she prefers vending in Zimbabwe because she makes more money than when selling in Zambia because in Zimbabwe she sells in United State dollars.
She said when she converts her USD to Zambian kwacha back in her country, she gets a substantial amount.
Mercy Mushare, a member of the Mkhosana vendors association, said they have engaged the local authority to put in place bylaws that protect local vendors. She said:
<blockquote>
We are not saying Zambians should not come and sell, but they should abide by the same bylaws which we abide by. They should not be at an advantage over locals.
</blockquote>
Victoria Falls residents, however, fear that strict action against Zambian vendors might eventually hurt the common Zimbabwean as local vendors will most likely increase prices to pandemic levels.
More: <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Vendors In Victoria Falls Call For Strict Action Against Zambians

Nine (9) Bulawayo City Council (BCC) municipal police officers who allegedly fired at vendors with rubber bullets last month have been granted bail.
The <a href="https://www.chronicle.co.zw/bcc-municipal-police-granted-bail/">Chronicle</a> reported that Ignatius Nyathi (51), Herbert Khumalo (55), Ntokozo Moyo (46), Lungton Moyo (42), Cent Moyo (49) Bekisipho Ncube (50) Lawrence Mathwasa (60 Bekezela Ncube 56, Mthabisi Moyo (30) appeared in court each facing two counts of attempted murder.
They were granted ZWL$50 000 bail each by Bulawayo regional magistrate Joseph Mabeza, who remanded them to 14 March.
As part of the bail conditions, the accused were ordered to report once a week at Bulawayo Central Police Station (homicide section).
Allegations were that on 23 February 2023, at around 7 AM, the accused persons were part of a team of municipal police who were on duty dispersing illegal vendors in Bulawayo Central Business District.
The court heard that the team was dispersing illegal vendors from an undesignated area along 5th Avenue between Lobengula Street and Jason Moyo Street.
They encountered a group of people chanting protest songs against BCC security details. Prosecutor Concilia Ncube said:
<blockquote>
The accused persons who were armed with shotguns fired 41 shots indiscriminately towards the protesting group and as a result, Concilia Ndlovu was shot in the left hand and sustained an injury and there is a lodged foreign object which is yet to be extracted.
</blockquote>
It is alleged that Ndlovu was not part of the group and was carrying out her normal business.
The second complainant Prosper Munemo was shot in the groin and sustained injuries.
The accused were released after their lawyers Messrs Herbert Chimbete and Maqhawe Mpofu of Coghlan and Welsh Legal Practitioners successfully applied for bail.
The State had opposed bail arguing that there was no guarantee that if released, the accused persons would not abscond given the gravity of the offence.
More <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Bulawayo Municipal Cops Who Fired At Vendors Granted Bail

Vendors in Bulawayo have urged insurance companies to come up with insurance schemes that also cater for SMEs.
Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Association (BVTA) executive director Michael Ndiweni told <a href="https://newsday.co.zw/southerneye/local-news/article/200007290/vendors-appeal-for-insurance-scheme">Southern Eye</a> that their members often lose everything in the event of a fire outbreak because their goods are not insured. Said Ndiweni:
<blockquote>
Insurance is very important for small to medium enterprises (SMEs) in the event of accidents like what happened in Espamprekini in Mpopoma where people lost everything (to a fire outbreak) because their goods were not insured.
We are doing advocacy for SMEs to be granted insurance packages. We have also raised this issue to the government during budget consultations for 2023.
We also engaged the government on policy because it should come from government policy for it to be responsive to the traders.
</blockquote>
Ndiweni said property owners should be compelled to insure their goods so that their tenants do the same.

Vendors Appeal For Insurance Packages For SMEs

The Bulawayo City Council on Wednesday called off its planned operation to clamp down on all illegal activities in the city amid security fears raised by various stakeholders.
Last week, the city’s town clerk, Christopher Dube gave those involved in illegal activities in the city up to Tuesday this week to cease their activities or be forcibly removed in the operation that was scheduled to commence this Wednesday.
But speaking during a consultative meeting with the business community on Wednesday, BCC Chamber Secretary, Sikhangele Zhou, said the operation was shelved pending the holding of a security sector meeting. She said:
<blockquote>
There was an expectation maybe from everyone in the city that today they would be a lot of enforcement around the city, however, there was a lot of polarisation regarding the enforcement and there were people who were preparing this and that which is why there had to be a security sector meeting this morning.
There was a general sentiment that while we plan to bring sanity, we might end up having skirmishes like looting and all sorts of activities of that nature.
As a city, we were ready to start the enforcement today but when we contacted our counterparts, the ZRP, they felt it was wise to wait for today’s meeting so the whole security sector will map a proper way forward and we enforce without putting anything in danger.
</blockquote>
Zhou said the council police have no arresting powers so they have to work with the Zimbabwe Republic Police.
Illegal activities targeted by the operation include vending on undesignated sites on the streets, pavements and roadways, washing of cars, repairing of vehicles, illegal pickup points by private vehicles, commuter omnibuses and buses, delivery of farm produce and other products onto the streets, push carts, heavy commercial vehicles into the city centre which have all resulted in serious congestion, chaos, littering as well as an increase in pickpocketing. | <a href="https://www.sundaynews.co.zw/council-blitz-shelved-amid-security-concerns/">The Sunday News</a>

Bulawayo City Council Blitz Shelved Amid Fears Of Skirmishes, Looting

The City of Bulawayo has announced its intentions to clear the streets of all informal traders, those washing cars, plying illegal pick-up and drop-off points, and push carts next week on Wednesday.
In a notice, the Town Clerk Christopher Dube gave the illegal operators until Tuesday next week to stop their activities. He said:
<blockquote>
The City of Bulawayo would like to advise all stakeholders that it will be conducting an exercise to rid the City of all unauthorized activities with effect from Wednesday, 11 January 2023.
All persons conducting unauthorized informal trading on undesignated sites in the City of Bulawayo (on the streets, pavements, roadways), washing of cars, repairing of vehicles, illegal pickup points by private vehicles, commuter omnibuses and buses, delivery of farm produce and other products onto the streets, push carts, heavy commercial vehicles into the Central Business District, illegal throwing and dumping of garbage or litter… are given up to Tuesday, 10 January 2023 to cease their illegal activities.
With effect from Wednesday, 11. January 2023, the City of Bulawayo will be conducting an exercise to eliminate ALL illegal activities so as to restore order and cleanliness.
</blockquote>
Dube said informal traders should register with the city council for them to get licences to operate from designated sites. He said:
<blockquote>
All those who are interested in trading in the authorised sites are advised to visit the City of Bulawayo Vending Offices at the former Dugmore Clinic Offices along Basch Street for registration and licensing.
The City encourages trading at designated sites in terms of Municipal by-laws.
This fosters peace, cleanliness and control of all informal trading activities through the associations which have Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with the City.
</blockquote>

Bulawayo City Council Vows To Eliminate Illegal Vending Next Week

CCC Senator for Bulawayo Tsepiso Mpofu has accused suspected ZANU PF activists under the banner Vendors for Economic Development (Vendors4ED) of forcing vendors to pay rentals after allocating them illegal space along 5th Avenue.
In a WhatsApp exchange with one of the space barons, Mpofu accused the ZANU PF-linked activists of stealing from poor vendors and bringing people from outside Bulawayo to trade in the city. She said audio circulating on social media:
<blockquote>
These space barons are bringing people from Masvingo and registering them as voters in Bulawayo as Zanu PF has been struggling to get enough votes in Bulawayo since 2000.
</blockquote>
In response, the space baron said they will allocate space to vendors whether Bulawayo City Council likes it or not. He said:
<blockquote>
We are vendors for Economic Development (ED). If we allocate people stands here, we do not choose whether one is ZANU PF or not.
We do not seek permission, but we simply tell you that we are doing this and that, whether you say you do not want it, we do not care at all.
</blockquote>
Mpofu on Tuesday told Southern Eye she was now being threatened by Vendors4ED who are demanding that she should show them the person who is collecting money from the vendors.
She added that ZANU PF should not politicise vending as vendors are trying to make ends meet.
ZANU PF Bulawayo provincial spokesperson Archibold Chiponda refuted the allegations made by Mpofu. He said:
<blockquote>
Can she provide us with names and details of the people doing this or some evidence? Politics is a numbers game.
If we were to bring people from Masvingo to come and vote in Bulawayo, how do you think ZANU PF as a party in Masvingo will feel?
Of course, we will be reducing their votes in Masvingo, and what senator Mpofu is saying does not make sense.
</blockquote>
Deputy mayor Mlandu Ncube backed Mpofu’s claims, saying the space barons are sabotaging the City of Bulawayo. Said Ncube:
<blockquote>
That is what has been happening along 5th Avenue. That is what those hooligans are doing, claiming that they were sent to do so. But soon council will remove them regardless of political affiliation.
They must understand that Bulawayo voters are smart voters, and they are worried whenever they see people sabotaging the council’s vision to develop a smart city.
</blockquote>
| <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/southerneye/local-news/article/200005290/zanu-pf-space-barons-fleecing-vendors-senator">Southern Eye</a>

Bulawayo Senator Accuses ZANU PF Space Barons Of Fleecing Vendors

The Harare City Council has invited all vendors in and around the Central Business District (CBD) to a meeting at the Town House on Thursday.
Council’s Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) committee chairperson, Councillor Denford Ngadziore (Ward 16) said the meeting will try to find long-term solutions to problems caused by illegal vending in the city.
Members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), and officials from the Harare Metropolitan Provincial office will also attend the meeting. Said Ngadziore:
<blockquote>
I am inviting all vendors to a meeting at Town House to discuss ways of solving problems vendors are facing as a way of finding long-term solutions.
The City is ours together and the Mayor, His Worship Jacob Mafume, will attend the meeting and engage with every one of us. So let us all come for this engagement.
</blockquote>
Harare, like other urban areas across the country, is struggling to deal with vendors who sell their wares in undesignated areas thereby obstructing the smooth flow of vehicular and human traffic.

Harare City Council To Hold Meeting With Vendors

Bulawayo City Council council have blocked a move to reverse a council resolution barring informal traders from operating along Fifth Avenue.
The councillors say the road should be opened for human and vehicular traffic.
The local authority closed the road to vendors at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
However, two years later, the council has failed to remove the informal traders operating along Fifth Avenue.
The local authority identified sites for vendors to operate from. The spots are near the Highlanders Football Club clubhouse and another at the corner of Lobengula Street and First Avenue. But the vendors say the sites are far away from their targeted clients.
According to the latest council report that was tabled before a full council meeting last Wednesday, council management had proposed the official reopening of the street to accommodate informal traders. Reads the report:
<blockquote>
With the coming of COVID-19, council on 3 June 2020 resolved that 5th Avenue (stretching from Robert Mugabe to Lobengula Street) be closed off permanently to any form of trading and henceforth the closed street be re-opened as a public road that accommodates two-way traffic as per the Roads Act provisions.
Despite the fact that this whole process was consultative, disgruntled informal traders took the matter to court.
The court dismissed their application and upheld the Council’s resolution of opening the road for vehicular traffic.
There had been an application from informal traders to close off 5th Avenue for informal trading activities, in light of the discussions around 5th Avenue, four options exist.
The options are informed by the need to strike a balance amongst a multifarious use, that is parking, informal trading and vehicular traffic and the property owners.
</blockquote>
The first option tabled would be to maintain the existing bays prior to COVID-19 and leave the planning area with 880 informal trading bays.
The second is to have the planning area with 952 informal trading bays occupying parking bays on both ends of the planning area.
The third option suggested is that the area will have two riding lanes and parking bays to the north but with 557 informal trading bays.
The fourth and final option is to maintain the status quo of opening up 5th Avenue to vehicular traffic without any consideration of informal trading activities.
Management was reportedly pushing for the adoption of option three, saying it leaves the area with fewer vending bays and would accommodate all the users including property owners.
However, councillors dismissed the move by management. Acting Mayor, Councillor Mlandu Ncube said what was dangerous with the move was that it would appear as if the local authority was regularising illegality. He said:
<blockquote>
We cannot create a problem by trying to solve another problem, in this city we are clear that 5th Avenue is a road, people must drive along that street.
When that street was closed there were people operating there, whom we consulted properly and gave them bays somewhere else, some, unfortunately, did not get them because of the limited space and went home.
Suddenly, despite this resolution, we woke up to people now operating there and two years after we are failing to remove these illegal elements, now we want to regularise those illegal elements, which is dangerous.
We will create a problem, with our people who were originally trading there, we can only start talking about that area when all offenders have left.
</blockquote>
| <a href="https://www.sundaynews.co.zw/councillors-block-reopening-of-fifth-avenue-market/">The Sunday News</a>

Councillors Block Reopening Of Fifth Avenue Market In Bulawayo

The City of Bulawayo has approached the Joint Operation Command (JOC) for assistance to remove ZANU PF activists who have illegally converted one of the city’s streets into a vegetable market.
JOC is a security arm comprising officers drawn from the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF), Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) and Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS).
The City of Bulawayo has accused ZANU PF youths and their leaders of taking over 5th Street in the central business district and parcelling it into vending bays for vendors.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the city’s “Big Spring Cleaning Week” launch Monday, Bulawayo Mayor, Solomon Mguni, said:
<blockquote>
They (vendors) were settled here by politicians from the ruling party (ZANU PF) and we have tried to engage both the party and state security apparatus to try and remove them from this road.
… We have held various meetings with JOC and the vendors’ leaders so as to find an amicable solution.
The engagements are continuing and ultimately it is the JOC which should ensure that these people are removed.
</blockquote>
The ZANU PF-linked “vending space barons” are prejudicing the local authority of millions of potential revenue by taking bribes from the displaced informal traders. | <a href="https://www.newzimbabwe.com/council-ropes-in-army-to-swoop-on-defiant-zanu-pf-aligned-street-vendors/">NewZimbabwe.com</a>

Bulawayo Council Ropes In Army To Remove Defiant ZANU PF-aligned Vendors

Bulawayo mayor Solomon Mguni on Monday accused the ruling ZANU PF of promoting illegal vending in the city, which was leading to rampant littering.
Mguni spoke as the city launched a campaign dubbed ‘Spring Cleaning Week’ which will see the local authority clear rubbish which has piled up at seven locations in the city centre.
He said ZANU PF encouraged the vendors who had been chased out of the CBD to return and occupy 5th Avenue where they are untouchable, even by the police. He is cited by <a href="https://www.zimlive.com/2022/09/bulawayo-mayor-accuses-zanu-pf-of-fuelling-illegal-vending-in-the-city/">ZimLive.com</a> as saying:
<blockquote>
People who were settled here (5th Avenue) were settled by politicians from the ruling party and we have tried to engage the party and the security apparatus of the state to try and remove them.
This is a public road, it was closed to vending and we decentralised markets but people think money is the city centre. 5th Avenue remains a public road, it was gazetted as a public road and it remains as such. We have to enforce the law, but it requires collective effort of all government agencies including the Environmental Management Agency, health authorities, the security apparatus of the state and our own security officers to ensure that we reopen the road to the public. It’s a question of enforcement which has gone beyond the local authority alone.
</blockquote>
During the peak of COVID-19, the central government ordered Bulawayo to clear vendors from the CBD to high-density suburbs and 5th Avenue was reopened to the motoring public.
Mguni however says many of the vendors have returned and are getting protection from Zanu PF.
<h2><a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a></h2>

Bulawayo Mayor Mguni Accuses ZANU PF Of Promoting Illegal Vending

Vendors and traders under various banners have expressed anger over the manner in which they are being treated by authorities.
The various informal traders affiliated to the Zimbabwe Chamber of Informal Economy Association (ZCIEA) addressed the media in Bulawayo last week. President of ZICHEA, Lorraine Sibanda said:
<blockquote>Do not criminalize our work, after all, we feel let down by ruling party after July 30 elections, now we want a clear policy on informal work.
We thought that for a moment everything is going to be well for us but now we are the most to suffer from the US dollar ban.</blockquote>
Sibanda also bemoaned the government’s failure to engage vendors before the abolition of the multi-currency regime. She said:
<blockquote>We are in a state of confusion about the government’s move to ditch multi-currency use, I will not claim to know about how we, as informal economy traders going to move from here but my thinking is whenever there is change, there is a need for engagement and dialogue before a bombshell dropping on citizens.</blockquote>
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.263chat.com/we-voted-for-youyou-tricked-us-vendors-tells-government/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">263Chat</a></h4>

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