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GWERU City Council (GCC) is owed over $1 million by registered vendors that are allegedly boycotting payment of rates and fees to the local authority in protest over fellow vendors trading at illegal points.
GCC spokesperson Mr Manford Gambiza said vendors trading at undesignated points in the city were becoming a menace, as they were costing council potential revenue from rates and fees from the informal sector.
“Council is owed a total of $1 404 740, 87 by registered vendors reason being they are protesting the existence of vendors trading at illegal selling points like the pavements and from their vehicles,” he said.
“So, they are asking ‘why should we pay council when we have unregistered and illegal traders that are stealing our business?’”
Mr Gambiza said council raked in $97 082 from 3 442 registered vendors operating in Gweru.
“We have 1 273 vendors in the CBD, 1 281 at Swift, 334 in Mkoba, 176 at Kombayi, 20 in Ascot and nine in Mtapa, bringing the total to 3 442 of registered vendors,” he said
He said council had invested over $10 000 in making of vending stalls and markets to provide places for the informal sector traders to conduct their business.
“We have the Swift vending area in town and other markets which have been set up by council to the tune of $10 675 for the sole purpose of providing clean and decent space for the informal sector to conduct their business,” said Mr Gambiza.
“That way we were hoping to clean the pavements of vendors trading at illegal points.”
Mr Gambiza said the construction of vending markets for the people in Senga and Nehosho area was ongoing.
“We are planning to construct a major vending mart to decongest the central business district where we can accommodate all the vendors so that we clear the pavements in the CBD,” he said.
“We hope that would be a lasting solution to illegal vending.”
Over the years, illegal vendors have been resisting municipal police, threatening retaliation whenever raids were carried out.
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