Vendors refuse to vacate CBD

Street vendors in Kadoma have vowed to continue operating at undesignated sites in the central business district saying they would only move out after government has provided them with formal employment.

National Vendors' Union of Zimbabwe (Navuz) president Sten Zvorwadza said there was need for vendors and retailers to coexist until the economic environment has stabilised.

"They discussed with the confederation before and we agreed in principle that vending has become an unavoidable reality so the process of removing vendors from street pavements should be agreed and modelled to achieve the harmony that the nation desires," Zvorwadza said.

He urged local authorities countrywide to desist from using brutal force to push vendors off the streets.

"As much as retailers want more profit, vendors need survival so local authorities should strive to attain sustainable results and avoid adamantly defying tenets of the supreme law," he added.

Navuz is currently carrying out nationwide programmes urging retailers and vendors to coexist.

This follows complaints by retailers that some vendors were blocking pavements and shop entrance.