Harare set for round-the-clock anti-vending patrols

THE Government has intensified efforts to restore order in central Harare, with illegal vendors, pushcarts and other unauthorised activities being cleared from the city centre under Operation Chenesa Harare.

The operation, being conducted in partnership with the City of Harare, will see informal traders operating from undesignated areas removed and directed to approved trading sites.

Municipal police are also expected to introduce 24-hour patrols to prevent illegal activities from returning after normal working hours.

Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe said the operation was part of a broader Government programme to restore cleanliness, order and healthy living standards across Zimbabwe, rather than a campaign linked to any forthcoming international event.

"People must go to designated areas, and this programme is not targeted for any major event that is likely to come, no," he said.

"This is the life that we must now be accustomed to, of cleanliness, of orderliness, of reorganising. That is the new Zimbabwe now, and Harare will never be the same again from today going forward."

Garwe said the clean-up would begin along Robert Gabriel Mugabe Road before extending to other streets in the central business district.

"Tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, Friday, we are going to clear Robert Gabriel Mugabe Road. That road must be respected," he said.

"Then we go to all other roads, Samora Machel Avenue, Julius Nyerere Way, Leopold Takawira Street, until it filters into the avenues, until the central business district is clean."

The minister also ordered the removal of pushcarts from the city centre, saying they were contributing to congestion and disorder.

"No to selling mangoes, oranges, clothes or shoes. No to plying in the central business district. And no to pushcarts in the central business district," he said.

"Those pushcarts are contributing to confusion, to commotion, to traffic jams and many other ills. So, we want to deal with that ourselves."

However, despite the Government directive, vendors appeared reluctant to leave their usual trading spots.

A visit to some of the illegal vending sites in Harare yesterday found vendors continuing to operate, with more informal traders seen entering the city centre as the day progressed.

Garwe said restoring Harare's traditional "Sunshine City" status would require residents to play an active role in maintaining cleanliness and order.

"We want Harare to maintain its Sunshine City status, and that Sunshine City status can only be achieved if every resident in Harare plays his or her role in cleaning the city," he said.

He said Government would not be deterred by criticism of the operation, insisting that existing laws and municipal by-laws must be respected.

The clean-up campaign is also expected to be extended to other parts of the country as Government seeks to establish uniform standards of cleanliness and order in urban areas.

Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume said council was strengthening its enforcement mechanisms to ensure that cleared areas were not quickly reoccupied.

He said the city had identified a gap in enforcement after municipal police officers ended their normal working hours at 5pm.

"We are going to institute 24-hour patrols and regular patrols around the city so that there will be continuous policing of the city 24-7," Mafume said.

"We must not restrict our municipal police to working during the day and all hell breaks loose after the municipal police knock off."

The latest measures mark a tougher approach by Government and council towards enforcing urban by-laws, with authorities seeking to reclaim public spaces, improve traffic flow and restore cleanliness in the capital as part of broader efforts to improve local authority service delivery.