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 NewsDay, 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:
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.
A representative of informal traders, Wisborn Malaya, said the local authority did not consult them before enacting the new by-laws. He said:
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.
The Harare City Council also banned “street” butcheries and noise in the central business district.
