City blitz hijacked

the operators to pay their licences directly to the city to avoid problems,” he said.
“At the moment, we are operating in the CBD and we will announce when our teams would be going to various suburbs.”
The Harare City Council launched the blitz code named “Operation Nguva Yakwana” last week to ensure that businesses paid licence fees.
But the business operators have said the city’s licence fees were too high.
The council officers visited 1 771 premises last week, with 1 294 operators found to be compliant with city regulations.
A total of 477 operators were found without licences and 48 of them paid for their licences on the spot.
The council closed 429 businesses last week for operating without licences.
Shop operators said the licence fees were too high and they could not afford them.
A woman who identified herself as Mai Tinashe at Dragon Shopping Mall said she closed her shop after failing to raise the required amount.
“They should put in place a payment plan,” she said.
A barber at the same complex said the closure spelt disaster for his family as it survived on his daily takings.
“This is really beyond my control, it is our landlord who owes council not us the tenants, but in the end we all suffer and I am worried about the future,” he said.