The Sunday News
SHOP owners in Bulawayo are reportedly resorting to vending in a bid to challenge vendors in the city and sell more of their wares.
The latest revelation comes after the Bulawayo City Council launched an onslaught against vendors in the city operating from undesignated illegal points.
Responding to written questions, BCC senior public relations officer Mrs Nesisa Mpofu confirmed that vending was now being exacerbated by shop owners who were competing against vendors and now also providing vendors with wares to sell.
“We have received several complaints from members of the public and other shop owners that some shop owners are allegedly taking out their wares and selling them on the streets. The reasons for the activity have, however, not been highlighted,” said Mrs Mpofu.
She noted that despite this new phenomenon they were not going to despair in their blitz against vending in the city noting that they were six approved vending sites in the city centre, which she said vendors should strictly adhere to.
Mrs Mpofu could not state the value of the goods that had been confiscated to date, saying the disposal of goods was done through the Zimbabwe Republic Police.
“The operations will continue in the city until there is sanity. Thereafter routine vending control activities will be done. The only approved sites in the city are at Bhaktas, Lobengula Mall, Hyper, Masotsha Ndlovu, 5th Avenue-Presbyterian Church, 5th Avenue-Robert Mugabe Way and all shopping centres,” she said.
Bulawayo municipal police a couple of weeks ago started raiding scores of “illegal” vendors in the city and confiscated their wares in a move aimed at restoring order in the growing informal sector.
The crackdown saw a number of vendors losing their belongings to council police, while some ran away leaving their wares to be trampled upon or confiscated.
Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Association co-ordinator Mr Thabang Nare said council should avail more vending bays closer to the market.
“To avoid these unnecessary raids, the council has to avail more vending bays close to where people walk than to locate these formal traders far from their market,” said Mr Nare.
“This is one of the reasons why we’re seeing a number of vendors planted everywhere in the city because that’s where their market is.”
He challenged council to expedite the issuance of licences and urged the vendors to register.
