News / National
Mugabe deplores vendor menace in Harare
09 Oct 2017 at 02:17hrs | Views
PRESIDENT Mugabe has deplored the vendor menace and disorder in Harare's central business district, saying the capital should be the smartest city in the country.
He said vendors operating in and around the capital should be moved to designated points to allow for the free flow of vehicular and human traffic in the CBD.
Addressing more than 300 members of the Zanu-PF Youth League national assemby at the party's headquarters in Harare on Saturday, the President said the capital city must be the smartest of all the country's towns.
He said he had already engaged Home Affairs Minister Ignatius Chombo and Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Saviour Kasukuwere over the bad state of the capital.
The President said he had been alerted to alarming state of Harare recently when he was told that vendors had virtually taken over streets such as Julius Nyerere Way and Robert Gabriel Mugabe.
He said the vendors sold their wares at night to avoid arrest, in the process blocking traffic. He said he had been told the vendors could also not be arrested due to forthcoming elections.
President Mugabe then decided to engage the responsible Ministers when he was told the roads in the CBD had been rendered impassable.
"I said okay, I will speak to the Minister of Local Government, Kasukuwere. So yesterday (Friday) I was speaking to Minister Chombo saying can we allow vendors to sell their wares on the roads, why not give them proper places for them to do so?"
The President told the Minister; "Roads must be left free for the cars to run. It is said they said they wanted to sell their wares everywhere. No, that is indiscipline. We don't want it. Down with it," he said.
President Mugabe said people should be allocated sites to operate from to restore order in the city. He said once council designated selling points, vendors should immediately move there. "We must clear the roads," said the President.
"Ah, see how dirty the city has become. Let's not do that. Harare must be the smartest of all towns because it's our capital city," he said.
HCC acting town clerk Mrs Josephine Ncube said yesterday that council, with the full support of the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, the Zimbabwe Republic Police, all law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders in Harare, would soon roll out an operation code-named "Restore Order" to clean the city of illegal street vending.
"This will be done through the re-organisation of the informal sector, long distance bus operations and commuter omnibuses as part of efforts to lay the foundation for sustainable vending and commuter omnibus operations in our beautiful Harare," she said.
Mrs Ncube said council recognised the important role played by the informal sector in the national economy, especially as the country was still facing serious economic challenges.
"We accept that the informal sector is critical in income generation but there is need to balance that with order, compliance with by-laws, and respecting formal businesses that contribute to the development of the country through payment of taxes," said Mrs Ncube.
"The city has previously registered over 30 000 vendors. Some of them have since abandoned their sites. Therefore, all registered vendors who have electronic cards are directed to return to the allocated sites. Not all vendors can be accommodated in the central business district, others will be accommodated in the districts," she said.
Those allocated space for weekend flea markets, she added, should start operations every Saturday after 1pm and remove their wares and clean up their areas by 5pm every Sunday.
She said a new vendor registration programme would begin tomorrow (Tuesday 10 October 2017) at the Housing and Social Development Department Offices along Remembrance Drive in Mbare. There would also be a registration desk at the corner of Speke Avenue and Cameron Street in the CBD, she said.
"Trading outside the demarcated zones will attract the full wrath of the law and deregistration for repeat offenders. All fresh produce wholesalers are prohibited from operating in the CBD; their space is at Mbare and Lusaka wholesale markets. Pushcarts are also prohibited in the CBD in terms of the pushcarts by-law," said Mrs Ncube.
"In addition to that, the city will demolish all illegal structures on vending sites and ranks. We therefore urge those who had erected illegal structures to pull them down immediately, failure of which council will assist them to do so."
She said the sale of groceries on the streets was prohibited and that obstruction of roads by vendors was a punishable offence in terms of the Criminal Law and Codification Reform Act.
He said vendors operating in and around the capital should be moved to designated points to allow for the free flow of vehicular and human traffic in the CBD.
Addressing more than 300 members of the Zanu-PF Youth League national assemby at the party's headquarters in Harare on Saturday, the President said the capital city must be the smartest of all the country's towns.
He said he had already engaged Home Affairs Minister Ignatius Chombo and Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Saviour Kasukuwere over the bad state of the capital.
The President said he had been alerted to alarming state of Harare recently when he was told that vendors had virtually taken over streets such as Julius Nyerere Way and Robert Gabriel Mugabe.
He said the vendors sold their wares at night to avoid arrest, in the process blocking traffic. He said he had been told the vendors could also not be arrested due to forthcoming elections.
President Mugabe then decided to engage the responsible Ministers when he was told the roads in the CBD had been rendered impassable.
"I said okay, I will speak to the Minister of Local Government, Kasukuwere. So yesterday (Friday) I was speaking to Minister Chombo saying can we allow vendors to sell their wares on the roads, why not give them proper places for them to do so?"
The President told the Minister; "Roads must be left free for the cars to run. It is said they said they wanted to sell their wares everywhere. No, that is indiscipline. We don't want it. Down with it," he said.
President Mugabe said people should be allocated sites to operate from to restore order in the city. He said once council designated selling points, vendors should immediately move there. "We must clear the roads," said the President.
HCC acting town clerk Mrs Josephine Ncube said yesterday that council, with the full support of the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, the Zimbabwe Republic Police, all law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders in Harare, would soon roll out an operation code-named "Restore Order" to clean the city of illegal street vending.
"This will be done through the re-organisation of the informal sector, long distance bus operations and commuter omnibuses as part of efforts to lay the foundation for sustainable vending and commuter omnibus operations in our beautiful Harare," she said.
Mrs Ncube said council recognised the important role played by the informal sector in the national economy, especially as the country was still facing serious economic challenges.
"We accept that the informal sector is critical in income generation but there is need to balance that with order, compliance with by-laws, and respecting formal businesses that contribute to the development of the country through payment of taxes," said Mrs Ncube.
"The city has previously registered over 30 000 vendors. Some of them have since abandoned their sites. Therefore, all registered vendors who have electronic cards are directed to return to the allocated sites. Not all vendors can be accommodated in the central business district, others will be accommodated in the districts," she said.
Those allocated space for weekend flea markets, she added, should start operations every Saturday after 1pm and remove their wares and clean up their areas by 5pm every Sunday.
She said a new vendor registration programme would begin tomorrow (Tuesday 10 October 2017) at the Housing and Social Development Department Offices along Remembrance Drive in Mbare. There would also be a registration desk at the corner of Speke Avenue and Cameron Street in the CBD, she said.
"Trading outside the demarcated zones will attract the full wrath of the law and deregistration for repeat offenders. All fresh produce wholesalers are prohibited from operating in the CBD; their space is at Mbare and Lusaka wholesale markets. Pushcarts are also prohibited in the CBD in terms of the pushcarts by-law," said Mrs Ncube.
"In addition to that, the city will demolish all illegal structures on vending sites and ranks. We therefore urge those who had erected illegal structures to pull them down immediately, failure of which council will assist them to do so."
She said the sale of groceries on the streets was prohibited and that obstruction of roads by vendors was a punishable offence in terms of the Criminal Law and Codification Reform Act.
Source - Chronicle
