The Bulawayo City Council has adopted a less aggressive approach to the vending saga allowing the 48-hour Government ultimatum to lapse incident-free with Deputy Mayor Edwin Ndlovu stating yesterday that they will prioritise the relocation of vendors first before implementing enforcement measures.
He said the
process to relocate the vendors from the different vending sites that they have
allocated themselves to designated vending bays strewn in the city was already
in motion before the ultimatum was issued by the Government to remove illegal
vendors from the thoroughfares of towns and cities.
“The BCC is in
the final stages of relocating vendors from 5th Avenue and other areas in town
to designated alternative spaces. This process will ensure a smoother
transition to compliant trading practices.
“We had already
set in motion the process of relocating vendors to designated areas such as
Bakta’s and Egodini when the Government issued the ultimatum. All registered
vendors will be moved to the council-constructed available bays and this
relocation process is nearing completion,” said Clr Ndlovu.
Regarding
enforcement, he noted that council was going to collaborate with the Zimbabwe
Republic Police to ensure measures were effectively put into place once the
relocation had been finalised.
“Our
enforcement efforts will be around the clock, but we will rely on the police
since our municipal officers lack the authority to make arrests,” he said.
Figures
released to Sunday News by council officials indicate glaring compliance gaps
with a good number of vendors not licensed.
BCC has a total
of 3 416 vending bays in the Central Business District, of which 3 279 are
occupied and only 244 of those have the necessary licences to operate legally.
The highest concentration of unlicensed vendors can be found at various sites
throughout the city, with significant discrepancies in site allocations and
licences.
The figures
availed by the local authority indicate that the city has 16 vending sites in
the CBD, with the site which is between Lobengula Street and Herbert Chitepo
and 6th Avenue up to 8th Avenue, having the highest number of bays (814) that
are occupied where just 12 are licensed. The Highlanders site has 749 bays,
with 720 have been allocated and 184 bays being licensed.
At Baktas (2nd
Avenue and Lobengula Street), all 175 bays, despite being all allocated, none
of them are licensed with the local authority, same goes with the site located
at the corner of 6th Avenue and Lobengula Street where out of the 337 bays
available and allocated, none of them are legally licensed to operate by the
local authority.
At Hyper, all
the 30 vendors allocated are also not legally licensed to operate. At 6th
Avenue Extension, only three vendors out of the 118 that were allocated are
licensed to operate at the site while at the site along Lobengula Street
between 5th and 6th Avenue only three out of the 121 allocated bays are
licensed to operate.
The Flower
Trading Site, which is located adjacent to the Large City Hall, of the 37
allocated bays, just eight are licensed to operate, while the Fruits and
Vegetables site located at the corner of Robert Mugabe Way and 8th Avenue of
the 96 bays available, 52 have been allocated and of those, just one bay is
licensed to operate.
While the BCC
is taking steps towards regulation, the Bulawayo Traders and Vendors
Association (BVTA) has called for dialogue between the Government and vendors.
BVTA Executive
Director Michael Ndiweni emphasised the need for engagement to find mutually
beneficial solutions for managing the informal sector within the city.
“We support the
Government’s initiative but stress the importance of dialogue. Engaging with
various stakeholders in the informal sector will enable us to address issues
like littering and compliance with the law, rather than resorting to
zero-tolerance policies,” said Mr Ndiweni.
He noted that
night vending can be a viable economic opportunity if managed well within the
legal framework, further boosting community income while adhering to city
by-laws.
“We believe
that working together to educate vendors about regulations and fostering active
economies, even at night, could lead to more revenue for everyone involved,” he
stated.
Meanwhile,
Bulawayo United Residents Association (Bura) chairperson Winos Dube commended
the Government’s actions, stating that the initiative was long overdue.
He highlighted
the urgent need to restore cleanliness and order in the city, which has
suffered from chaotic vending practices.
“We hope this
ultimatum will not remain an empty threat but will be implemented to ensure a
more organised and clean city,” said Mr Dube. As the Bulawayo City Council
continues to navigate these challenges, the focus remains on finding balanced
solutions that address the needs of vendors while ensuring the welfare of the
broader community.
The Government,
through the Minister of Local Government and Public Works Daniel Garwe, issued
a 48-hour ultimatum last Wednesday to address the growing incidence of night
vending.
The argument
has been that the surge in unregulated informal trading in the CBD has resulted
in increased pedestrian traffic, widespread littering and disturbances to
established businesses within the CBD making the cities unattractive to
investors. Sunday News
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