Councillor Mlandu Ncube utterances unfortunate and offside

Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Association (BVTA) is shocked by irresponsible utterances allegedly made by Ward 1 Councillor Mlandu Ncube to the effect that Bulawayo City Council will unleash municipal police to evict vendors at night that appeared on NewsDay newspaper of 13 March, 2018.

"We feel that this is not a well thought out move since it may result in a potentially dangerous situation and offside to say the least. We unequivocally abhor such an unfortunate statement from Councillor Mlandu Ncube. His utterances are seen as a violation of Section 24 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe which calls on the State and all institutions and agencies of government at every level to adopt reasonable policies and measures to provide everyone with an opportunity to work in a freely chosen activity, in order to secure a decent living for themselves and their families," said the association.

"It is against this background that BVTA views Councillor Ncube as a trigger happy, constitutional delinquent who holds the public office not to enable people to survive but to oppress, victimise especially the vulnerable groups of the society such as women, children that sell their wares on the streets. As BVTA we implore public elected officials like Councillor Mlandu Ncube to engage all the stakeholders in finding a lasting solution to the challenges bedevilling the informal sector. We therefore call upon Ncube to seriously engage before embarking on threats and name calling of workers in the streets."

"We implore Bulawayo City Council to find an amicable strategy to resolve this situation and devise mechanisms to maximise on the new trends of selling in the streets. We urge Bulawayo City Council to deploy its officers and make these traders pay a fee than to opt for running battles with vendors. We urge policy makers to exercise restraint when dealing with desperate people who are trying to eke a living," the association added.