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Nqobile Tshili Chronicle Reporter
A SHARP increase in the number of street vendors in Bulawayo poses a health threat as available sanitary facilities do not match their growing numbers, council officials said.Bongiwe Ngwenya, a public relations officer for the Bulawayo City Council, said there were over 6,500 vendors registered with the council.
Last year, the figure was just over 4,000 — all competing for just 10 public toilets in the city. Bulawayo generates about $70,000 from fees for vending bays every month — a major cash cow for the council. The growing income from the vending bays has meant that the council now finds it hard to resist licensing new vendors.
“There are 6,523 registered vendors and their increase affects the council’s operations as there is a shortage in sanitary facilities resulting in improper waste disposal which may lead to outbreak of diseases such as cholera,” said Ngwenya.
She said vending has also resulted in littering which pollutes the environment. Ngwenya said the increase in the number of vendors has derailed a number of the local authority’s development plans.
She said vending has also resulted in traffic congestion where two way traffic lanes have been turned into one way to accommodate the vendors.
An acute shortage of manpower was also making it difficult for the council to effectively monitor the activities of the vendors resulting in them breaching the city’s by-laws and selling goods like meat and bread, she added.
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