Online Reporter
Peter Matika, [email protected]
BUSINESSES operating in Bulawayo’s city centre have raised alarm over a surge in homeless children, warning that their unruly and sometimes violent behaviour is disrupting trade, frightening customers and tarnishing the city’s image as a safe commercial hub.
Shop owners, vendors and transport operators say the children loiter around shops, fast-food outlets, bus termini and taxi ranks, where they beg aggressively, harass patrons and steal from unsuspecting customers. In some cases, the youths reportedly fight among themselves, creating scenes that send shoppers and commuters fleeing.
Business owners say confrontations have become more frequent, particularly in the evenings, forcing some traders to close earlier than usual. “We now operate under fear. They grab items from shop displays, harass customers and sometimes fight among themselves.
When that happens, customers immediately leave,” said a business owner operating along 9th Avenue and George Silundika Street.
Commuters echoed similar concerns, saying the presence of street children has turned once-busy areas, particularly around the City Hall, into no-go zones after dark, affecting transport services and night-time business activity.
Taxi operators said some of the youths force passengers to give them money or attempt to snatch valuables through open windows, while kombi crews reported frequent clashes at pick-up points. “They sometimes block vehicles demanding money, and when you refuse, they become violent. This delays business and irritates passengers,” said Mr Ndlovu, a kombi driver.
Food vendors said they are often coerced into giving the children free meals, while others reported incidents of theft and vandalism.
Police have acknowledged the growing problem, confirming that investigations are underway amid reports that similar disturbances are being experienced in other cities across the country.
Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Nomalanga Msebele said investigations revealed that some of the street children are highly mobile, using night buses to move between cities and evade police patrols.
“These are co-ordinated movements meant to avoid detection. They travel overnight and blend into the city during the day. As police, we are investigating these reports and profiling those involved,” she said.
Inspector Msebele said the use of night buses allows the youths to bypass routine roadblocks and patrols, complicating efforts to establish their origins and movements.
She said police will roll out a combination of visible policing, targeted operations and intelligence-led patrols, focusing on the CBD, industrial areas and major transport hubs. Police will also work with the Department of Social Welfare and other stakeholders to address underlying issues such as homelessness, substance abuse and family breakdown.
“While enforcement is necessary to restore order, long-term solutions require a multi-sectoral approach. These are children, and some are victims of deep social challenges,” said Inspector Msebele.
Business associations welcomed the police intervention but stressed that sustainable solutions are urgently needed, warning that continued disruptions could further weaken an already fragile business environment.
“This is not just a policing issue. If customers feel unsafe, they stop coming, sales go down and jobs are threatened,” said a CBD business owner.
Some traders said they have already incurred losses from property damage, while others raised concerns over rising security and insurance costs.
“Property owners fear that growing disorder will lead to declining property values and scare away potential investors. We rent these spaces, and vandalism mostly happens under the cover of night,” said another business operator.
The problem is also spilling into surrounding suburbs, with reports of street children sleeping in alleyways, abandoned buildings and near residential flats.
Police said awareness campaigns will be conducted with parents and guardians on the dangers of exposing children to drug abuse and criminal activities, warning that the situation poses a serious social threat beyond its economic impact.
Inspector Msebele warned that failure to act decisively could see these youths graduating into more serious criminal activities.
“As the festive season approaches and business activity is expected to peak, traders and residents alike are appealing for swift action to restore order and ensure safety in Bulawayo’s streets. And we as police will not sit and watch as this scourge grows. Long-term interventions are being put in place to address the root causes of the street children menace,” she said.
Bulawayo provincial social development officer, Ms Energy Mlambo, said they are working with their counterparts in other provinces to trace and verify the origins of some of the street children in the city.
“We are worried about the menace of street children in Bulawayo. However, we are working with other stakeholders such as Scripture union to rehabilitate and provide homes for them or reintegrate them into family settings and society,” she said.
“We are also liaising with our counterparts in other provinces in tracing and verifying the reports that some of these children are from outside Bulawayo.”
Ms Mlambo said public awareness campaigns are being intensified to discourage the public from supporting children working on the streets.
She said it is an offence to send children to beg on the streets under the Children’s Act, Chapter 5:06.
“Unfortunately, these children often refuse reintegration with their families due to the fast money they receive from random people in town,” said Ms Mlambo.
Bulawayo is witnessing an increase in the number of children leaving their homes to live and work on the streets, with the shift often leading them into illegal activities, including drug and substance abuse.
Over 100 street children, mostly teenagers, are scattered throughout the city to beg, scavenge, or offer small services like car washing and carrying goods for market vendors. The streets, where these children spend most of their days, are filled with litter and debris, adding to the city’s growing littering problem.
