BCC will continue issuing licences to foreigners: Mayor

Speaking on the sidelines of a conflict management and team building workshop in Beitbridge, Clr Moyo said although they were yet to formally receive the directive from Government that local authorities should stop issuing retail licences to foreigners, the city council needed more time to scrutinise and study the long-term effects of the new regulation.
“We haven’t seen any official document from our parent ministry (Ministry of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development) regarding that regulation. However, it should be noted that even if that directive is issued, as council, we still need to look at it closely so that we are able to see the effects,” said Clr Moyo.
“If we have space that is reserved for our local people and they don’t come forward to apply for licences, then we give it to foreigners,          but right now we are not in a position to tell the  number of foreigners operating such businesses,” he said.
The Government, through the Ministry of Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment, last week issued a directive ordering all local authorities to stop renewing and issuing new retail licences to foreigners.
Minister Saviour Kasukuwere said local authorities should acquaint themselves with the provisions of the law, adding that issuing new retail licences to foreigners contravened the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act.
“Any new licences should be issued in compliance with the provisions of the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act,” he said.
According to the third schedule of Section 21 of the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act, retail and wholesale trade, agriculture, primary production of food and                         cash crops, transportation, passenger buses, taxis and car hire services, barber shops, hairdressing and beauty salons, employment and estate agencies, valet services, grain milling, bakeries, tobacco grading, packaging and processing, advertising agencies, milk processing, provision of local arts and craft, marketing and distribution, are some of the sectors reserved for indigenous Zimbabweans.
However, most such businesses in Bulawayo, Harare and other urban centres are dominated by Chinese, Nigerians, Congolese and Angolans.
More than 100 foreigners were arrested and deported                                   last year for illegally operating businesses like grocery shops and restaurants in violation of Zimbabwe’s immigration and investment laws.
The Department of Immigration last week said most of the culprits were Nigerians and Chinese operating retail shops and restaurants without the required documents.
Meanwhile, the Bulawayo City Council’s public relations officer, Mrs Nesisa Mpofu, said the three-day workshop, which started on Tuesday, was aimed at reducing areas of conflict within the structures of the local authority.
“As council, the main objective of the workshop is to explore and identify the areas of conflict management within Bulawayo. This will then help us develop a shared vision, which would enable us to have a better understanding of the nature of conflict within our leadership structures, so that we come up with an appropriate action plan to be implemented in the city,” she said.
Mrs Mpofu said team building within council structures played a key role as it was a vehicle to drive and speed up service delivery in the city.
The workshop, which ends today, was attended by 27 councillors from Bulawayo and was sponsored by UN Habitat.