Vendors are law abiding citizens- ZISO

The Zimbabwe Informal Sector's Organisation (ZISO) has warned the Harare municipality police that vendors are law abiding citizens who need respect as they go about their business to sustain their families in a country where jobs are not available.

The development come in the wake of running battles between the council police and the vendors who has to fight back the security during arrest.

"Meanwhile scores of vendors were picked up by police this afternoon (on 13 October)," said ZISO. "Their charges are not yet known. The herald screened several randomly shot photos of vendors and passerbys and purported to claim that they are the drivers behind the current stand off between vendors and the city council."

ZISO said to be clear, vendors are law abiding and hardworking citizens who have failed to secure employment or any other source of living apart from vending.

"As a result, and out of lack of options, they have put together all they have and set aside their egos to earn an honest living in the CBD. They must be supported. Government must aim to regulate and amplify their positive initiative rather than criminalise them," said the organisation.

"For the record, vendors are law abiding citizens who are not out to defy the law. The vendors are protesting and expressing their disquiet against rampant and chronic corruption by the city council and municipal police who confisticate vendor's hard earned wares under the guise of law enforcement only to divert them for resale or personal consumption"

The organisation said secondly, city council officials themselves have not complied with their very own rules that they are purporting to enforce.

"For example, goods confisticated from vendors are supposed to be recorded and stored in a city council warehouse until the owners have paid a fine after which they are entitled to get their goods back," said ZISO.

"If the vendors fail to pay a fine council is supposed to destroy the goods if they are perishable. But this should be done with the approval of the director of health. If the goods are not perishable council is obliged to flight a newspaper notice for the sale of the goods and only for the purposes of securing the fine and recovering storage costs. If there is a balance after the sale, it should be remitted to the vendor."

ZISO said this has not and is not the case.

"Vendors continue to have their goods taken (literally stolen) without trace. This is a gross injustice and cannot and should never be allowed to continue," said ZISO.

"Government is implored to re-look at these laws and ensure that the enforcers are following and upholding the law."