Tinaani Nyabereka
Gweru- The local authority last week assured vendors that the cat and mouse relationship between the two parties (council and vendors) has come to an end as they need to work together within the co-existing economic setup.
The remarks came as the nation commemorated International Street Vendors’ Day hosted in Gweru last week.
The celebrations were organised by the Vendors Initiative for Social Economic Transformation (VISET), Gweru Residents and Ratepayers Association (GRRA) and the Zimbabwe Coalition On Debt and Development (ZIMCODD).
Speaking on the sidelines of the celebrations, Gweru Mayor, Josiah Makombe urged government and local authorities to prioritize the work of informal traders saying they contribute to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
He added that the council was going to engage the informal sector as long as it was organized.
“Let me assure our vendors that, the cat and mouse relationship which used to exist between us has come to an end. We now call for informal sectors to be well organised.
“We need you to organise yourselves and remove the element of greediness because there are some of you who claim leadership to manipulate others. That is very bad and must stop,” said Makombe.
He added that, municipal police had already been cautioned against corruption
“Yesterday I was talking to council police about corruption. I warned them against confiscating the wares of people and taking them home.
“As a local authority we do not want to victimize people because they seek to earn a living .I told them not to be involved in corruption or victimization of vendors. So I say, let this be a stepping stone as we move forward through engagement and dialogue,” added Makombe.
In its solidarity message, ZIMCODD said there was need to remove the informality of traders and regularizing them.
ZIMCODD Programmes Manager, John Maketo urged government to reconsider and prioritize the informal sector as it plays a crucial role in the realization of socio-economic rights.
“Government should regularize the informal traders because they are all traders in the interest of social and economic justice. Everyone has the right to equal opportunity on resources as stated in the constitution. Street vendors must be given decent places of operation,” said Maketo.
Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCOZ) representative, Precious Mutumwa bemoaned the plight of vendor women with disabilities saying council was confiscating their wares.
Highlighting the origins of the day, Vendors Initiative for Social Economic Transformation (VISET) director Samuel Wadzai said the only way to solve challenges affecting the informal sector was through formal engagements.
“We know as the informal sector that we have quite a number of challenges which we face and for us to solve these challenges, we only need to engage the relevant authorities.
“So the International Street Vendors Day started in India in 2018 after realising that the economy was being driven by the informal traders. Therefore, November 14 was then set as the day to celebrate the importance of vendors. Despite the challenges we face, we always value our operations in line with the growth of our economies,” he added.
Informal traders in and around the country’s major cities, and growth points have been engaging in running battles with ZRP and municipal police who want to get rid of the vendors off the streets.
