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Farai Kuvirimirwa Herald Reporter
At least 700 vendors have been registered by the City of Harare and have been allocated vending slots in the Central Business District, council spokesperson Mr Leslie Gwindi has said.
In a statement, Mr Gwindi said council resultantly collected $33 000 in vending fees between July 28 and August 31, which will be used to provide shelter to the vendors.
Each vendor was issued with a registration number and identification that restricts one to a particular vending site. Flea market operators pay $3 daily for trading space while fruit, vegetable, airtime, dried foods and newspaper vendors pay $1.
“The city categorically states that vendors should only pay to council for the land they are trading on and they should not pay to third parties that include their associations.
“It has come to the attention of city authorities that some associations are charging the vendors $10 daily under the guise of providing them with a table. That responsibility remains with the city and will be achieved through the vending fees payable for each vending category,” said Mr Gwindi.
He urged associations which want to levy vendors to do so through monthly membership subscriptions.
Mr Gwindi urged vendors to utilise the one-month vendor registration to trade.
“The city is calling on vendors to take advantage of the one month vendor registration exercise to submit their names at the registration centres situated at Trafalgar Court, Julius Nyerere Parkade and the Publicity Office in the Africa Unity Square.
Each registrant is required to furnish the team with their name, ID number, area of trade, residential address and contact details. The registration exercise that began on August 22 ends on September 20, 2014.
“Every vendor is required to register regardless of whether they have done so in previous exercises. Each person would be allowed one vending spot in the CBD. There will be no multiple stallholders to avoid issues of subletting, racketeering and profiteering,” he said.
Mr Gwindi said there shall be no vending at traffic intersections, road islands, and street pavements and in the middle of the road and mobile telecommunication firms are encouraged to sell paperless airtime. He said smuggled goods will not be allowed at any of the vending sites and municipal police officers will confiscate any contraband items.
Registration will allow the city to allocate each vendor a registration number and a vending slot at the designated vending points in the CBD.
The approved CBD vending sites are at Fourth Street, Charge Office, Julius Nyerere and Kenneth Kaunda Street, Market Square, Speke and Cameroon Street and George Silundika and First street which will operate on Sundays.
Other flea markets are Park Street Flea Market, corner Speke and Cameroon street vegetable market, OK Cameroon and at the corner of Chinhoyi and Samora Machel avenue.
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