ZISO cries foul over non strategic selling sites

Zimbabwe Informal Sector's Organization has hailed the commissioning of the Mbudzi People's Market though the organisation has lamented that most of the proposed sites are situated in areas that are not amenable with the markets which vendors area targeting.

"ZISO notes the commissioning of the Mbudzi People's market. It is our considered view that while the Mbudzi market maybe strategically located, most of the proposed sites are situated in areas that are not amenable with the markets which vendors are targeting," said ZISO in a statement.

"We insist that the process of constructing vending sites cannot be effective without the inclusion and participation of the vendors themselves. Nothing for us without us. ZISO continues to propose that some of the vending sites must be located in the CBD where council creates vending zones within the areas with the highest human traffic such as copper cabana fourth and first street areas to name a few."

ZISO said secondly the process of allocating the stands must be transparent non political and non partisan and corrupt free. "It is curious that it appears most of the stands have already been allocated before the site has even opened. The allocations must be given to real and genuine vendors who really need the stands rather than to council employees police or their close relatives," ZISO said.

"Further and at all costs the authorities must ensure that there are no space barons and subletting which will lead to fictitious price distortions. There is also a need for a workable taxing system which is based on the profit made not the current presumptive system which taxes vendors 1 dollar a day whether they operated or not."