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Crime Reporter
Business people in the Borrowdale area who recently turned stables at the race course into illegal fruit and flea markets in violation of Covid-19 national lockdown regulations have had their application to be allowed to operate at the area turned down by council.
Police launched investigations following reports of the illegal market. The investigations centre on two separate breaches of regulations, operating a flea market without municipal approval and operating one during the Level Four Covid-19 lockdown.
The application by the operators was made to the Harare City Council’s Health Department last year.
Sources close to the investigations said the application was made by Mrs Vicky Ann Bowen on June 12 and had not been approved.
It was made under the trade name Old Stables Market at the Borrowdale Race Course.
When contacted for comment, council spokesperson Michael Chideme said Covid-19 restrictions should be adhered to.
“We are under lockdown and regulations must be followed. Flea markets are not an essential service so they should remain closed like most businesses,” he said.
On the application submitted by Mrs Bowen last year, Mr Chideme said, “All applications are approved on their merit.”
Following an article that was published by The Herald last week, the businesspeople then decided to close down their operations over the weekend.
They have been circulating messages on social media urging vendors and their members not to open the market.
A team of police officers from Harare Central and city council officials on Saturday visited the premises, but did not find any activities.
Since January 16, there were more than 60 vendors operating during the weekends at the race course, selling fruits and other products.
Most of these vendors were reportedly being charged US$10 for a table per day to sell at the site.
Since an advertisement was run on social media reading, “Open Saturday 16th January . . . Old Stables Market . . . Your trusted source of goodness”, vendors had been thronging the area.
They started operating from 6am and closing at 3pm.
At first, police had been provided with information that a certain company was distributing groceries to people at the race course that had been bought by their relatives and friends in South Africa.
It was alleged that the company had obtained documents from the relevant authorities to conduct the distribution process of the groceries and goods at the site.
But investigations revealed that some of the stables were being turned into vending stalls during weekends.
The Herald recently witnessed various people visiting the area to purchase various products and goods.
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