adminPamela Shumba, Senior Reporter
ONLY 1 978 out of 7 000 vendors operating in the Bulawayo city centre are licensed, a development that has created friction between informal traders and the local authority.
According to the latest council minutes, the director of housing and community services, Mr Dictor Khumalo, said most vendors in the city are not keen on acquiring or renewing their vending licences.
“There are 7 000 vendors operating within the city, but 1 978 had renewed their licences as at December 31, 2017.
“Legal vendors are therefore complaining about lack of enforcement against illegal vendors at the vending sites. They’re threatening not to pay because their businesses are being taken away by illegal traders who are not paying their dues to the city council,” said Mr Khumalo.
He said in view of failure to renew 2017 vending licences by most vendors, an all stakeholders’ meeting was convened by a vending technical committee in January to discuss the problem and suggest a way forward.
“Vendors were advised that council required them to renew their vending licences every year as required by the council’s by-laws. “We also reminded them that the renewal of licences was one of the ways of building good relations with council and ensuring legal and organised trading in the city,” said Mr Khumalo.
He added that the city council would continue engaging vendors to address their concerns, which include reviewing goods that they are allowed to sell and the need to relocate public transport to areas such as the Highlanders site to improve business in the area. “Other departments will also be engaged to embark on support activities that will improve the trading viability of traders. All these initiatives should improve the environment including licensing by vendors,” said Mr Khumalo.
Councillors expressed concern over the low numbers of licensed vendors and suggested that the council should lobby for arresting powers in respect of Municipal Police.
They also called for strict enforcement of vending by-laws to protect law abiding vendors.
Illegal vendors have continued to flood the streets of Bulawayo, with the BCC battling to get rid of them resulting in bitter clashes between the vendors and the council cops. — @pamelashumba1
Online Reporter