Municipal Police raid vendors

BULAWAYO municipal police yesterday raided scores of "illegal" vendors in the city and confiscated their wares in a move aimed at restoring order in the growing informal sector.

The council, which had warned of a blitz at the weekend, descended heavily on those operating at undesignated areas, confiscating their wares.

Two trucks and a tow vehicle were seen patrolling the city as council officials sought to raid illegal operators and would pick up anyone suspected to be breaking the by-laws.

The crackdown saw a number of vendors losing their belongings to council police, while some ran away leaving their wares to be trampled upon or confiscated.

The  vendors yesterday expressed shock over the raid.

"What the council did to us is very painful and callous. We're busy trying to make a living and as things stand we can't get jobs since the industry is not operational. So, how can we provide for our families," fumed Alex Ncube, a vegetable vendor in the city centre.

Sithokozile Mpala who deals in electric gadgets said she could not afford the daily council charges.

"Our business is flooded, we barely make big sales, which is why we can't afford putting our house in order. The council has to consider our plea and reduce the fees rather than running around chasing after us," she said.

Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Association (BVTA) coordinator, Thabang Nare, said council should avail more vending bays closer to the market.

"To avoid these unnecessary raids, the council has to avail more vending bays close to where people walk than to locate these formal traders far from their market," said Nare.

"This is one of the reasons why we're seeing a number of vendors planted everywhere in the city because that's where their market is."

He challenged council to expedite the issuance of licences and urged the vendors to register.