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BVTA urges BCC not to use violence on illegal vendors
21 Mar 2022 at 06:19hrs | Views
BULAWAYO Vendors and Trader Association (BVTA) has urged the city council to desist from using violence to solve the problem of illegal vendors occupying restricted areas.
BVTA Director Michael Ndiweni said the city council should reconsider and not make use of violence to get rid of illegal vendors.
"Violence is not the best solution because obviously if the council is now resorting to make use of the police and the army then that is guaranteed that one or two people might get caught into crossfire. Therefore my advice to the council is if they can find better ways for them to reach a common ground with the vendors and do away with the military to solve the problem," Ndiweni said.
Ndiweni said illegal vendors should also make it a point that they authenticate their businesses to avoid problems with the city council.
"These vendors should also make it a point that they legalise their businesses because they will always be caught in this cross fire with BCC. The city council should also make sure that they get these people at least a proper trading place," he said.
He said another challenge is that BCC is the one that moved people from Egodini hence they should have made sure that they had secured them a proper area for vending.
Recently BCC a council which is battling to control illegal vendors in the city centre was contemplating engaging the police and army as part of its efforts to rid the CBD of illegal vendors who continue to flood the central business district defying the covid 19 induced restrictions, latest council minutes reveal.
The local authority has been involved in running battles with illegal vendors who have since started displaying their trade after 5pm when municipal security knocks off.
So daring are the illegal vendors that some of them have allocated themselves bays on fifth, thereby blocking motorists.
Ward 17 councillor Sikhululekile Moyo raised concerns about illegal vendors displaying their wares on the road within the city centre saying the activity has become a danger to people and the motoring public.
Responding to the above raised concerns the chamber Secretary Sikhangele Zhou admitted that illegal vending was now out of control.
BVTA Director Michael Ndiweni said the city council should reconsider and not make use of violence to get rid of illegal vendors.
"Violence is not the best solution because obviously if the council is now resorting to make use of the police and the army then that is guaranteed that one or two people might get caught into crossfire. Therefore my advice to the council is if they can find better ways for them to reach a common ground with the vendors and do away with the military to solve the problem," Ndiweni said.
Ndiweni said illegal vendors should also make it a point that they authenticate their businesses to avoid problems with the city council.
"These vendors should also make it a point that they legalise their businesses because they will always be caught in this cross fire with BCC. The city council should also make sure that they get these people at least a proper trading place," he said.
He said another challenge is that BCC is the one that moved people from Egodini hence they should have made sure that they had secured them a proper area for vending.
Recently BCC a council which is battling to control illegal vendors in the city centre was contemplating engaging the police and army as part of its efforts to rid the CBD of illegal vendors who continue to flood the central business district defying the covid 19 induced restrictions, latest council minutes reveal.
The local authority has been involved in running battles with illegal vendors who have since started displaying their trade after 5pm when municipal security knocks off.
So daring are the illegal vendors that some of them have allocated themselves bays on fifth, thereby blocking motorists.
Ward 17 councillor Sikhululekile Moyo raised concerns about illegal vendors displaying their wares on the road within the city centre saying the activity has become a danger to people and the motoring public.
Responding to the above raised concerns the chamber Secretary Sikhangele Zhou admitted that illegal vending was now out of control.
Source - Byo24News
