Byo vendors mull street protests against city council

BULAWAYO vendors have threatened street protests if the local authority does not address their plight within 30 days.

Vendors are accused the local authority of constant harassment, as they are always engaged in running battles with municipal police who confiscate their goods for operating illegally.

Informal traders have to pay fees to council for them to operate in the Central Business District.

Speaking during the Vendors and Informal traders Conference that was held last Friday under the theme "Creating an Enabling Policy Environment for Vendors and Informal Traders" threatened to cause chaos in the city if city fathers ignore their concerns.

"The city council should be given a dead line to address the issues we have spoken here today.

"If they don't resolve the issue by that time we will take to the streets and there won't be any control," residents were quoted as saying a local Community Radio today.

National President of Zimbabwe Chamber of Informal Economy Associations (ZICEA) Edward Manning concurred with vendors.

"It is not the first time we have been to the Mayor, all the demands which we are making today were once forwarded in writing to the Mayor. Let us give him 30 days and then we take to the streets," Manning said.

Another proposal was that if the protests failed, the vendors would take the council to court.

"If the protests refuse we will take them to court and the courts will deal with them," said another vendor.

Some of the proposals that were tabled included the reduction of daily license fees to one rand, reduction of weekend payments from $23 to $10, fee waiver for widows and elderly citizens and the proposal for fining vendors rather than confiscating their goods.