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Vendors4ED plans malls across all provinces
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The Vendors for Economic Development (Vendors 4ED) has announced plans to construct vendor malls in all of Zimbabwe's provinces by the end of the year, as the informal traders' organisation declared its support for the proposed Constitutional Amendment Number 3 Bill.
National chairperson Cde Samora Chisvo said the amendment is critical to securing the informal sector's long-term place in the mainstream economy. Speaking on the sidelines of National Youth Day commemorations in Marondera, Chisvo argued that economic transformation cannot be achieved while vendors remain marginalised.
"We cannot build an upper-middle-income economy by 2030 while vendors remain second-class citizens operating in the shadows," he said. "Constitutional Amendment Number 3 guarantees that the developmental programmes President Emmerson Mnangagwa has initiated for us will not be disrupted by electoral cycles. We need continuity to transform."
Chisvo said the organisation has registered more than 150,000 informal traders nationwide in recent years, positioning Vendors 4ED as a key mobilising structure within the sector. He said the proposed malls would provide dignified trading spaces equipped with storage facilities, sanitation and access to financial services, particularly targeting young entrepreneurs.
"Our youths are tired of running from the council police. They want proper spaces where they can operate like genuine businesspeople and eventually become industrialists under NDS2," he said.
He praised the Presidential Empowerment Schemes, saying they had already begun transforming livelihoods, but stressed that constitutional backing would make such initiatives permanent pillars of economic development.
"We thank His Excellency for recognising that vendors are the engine of this economy. Now we need the constitutional framework to guarantee we remain at the table permanently," Chisvo added.
The proposed mall rollout builds on Vendors 4ED's broader efforts to formalise the informal economy through bulk-buying schemes and licence fee suspensions, positioning traders as central players in Zimbabwe's Vision 2030 development agenda.
National chairperson Cde Samora Chisvo said the amendment is critical to securing the informal sector's long-term place in the mainstream economy. Speaking on the sidelines of National Youth Day commemorations in Marondera, Chisvo argued that economic transformation cannot be achieved while vendors remain marginalised.
"We cannot build an upper-middle-income economy by 2030 while vendors remain second-class citizens operating in the shadows," he said. "Constitutional Amendment Number 3 guarantees that the developmental programmes President Emmerson Mnangagwa has initiated for us will not be disrupted by electoral cycles. We need continuity to transform."
Chisvo said the organisation has registered more than 150,000 informal traders nationwide in recent years, positioning Vendors 4ED as a key mobilising structure within the sector. He said the proposed malls would provide dignified trading spaces equipped with storage facilities, sanitation and access to financial services, particularly targeting young entrepreneurs.
He praised the Presidential Empowerment Schemes, saying they had already begun transforming livelihoods, but stressed that constitutional backing would make such initiatives permanent pillars of economic development.
"We thank His Excellency for recognising that vendors are the engine of this economy. Now we need the constitutional framework to guarantee we remain at the table permanently," Chisvo added.
The proposed mall rollout builds on Vendors 4ED's broader efforts to formalise the informal economy through bulk-buying schemes and licence fee suspensions, positioning traders as central players in Zimbabwe's Vision 2030 development agenda.
Source - The Herald
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