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Freedom Mupanedemo
Harare is still battling space barons who are now grabbing every available open space in the city before illegally subdividing it and renting out the tiny spaces or little plots to vendors.
Harare Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Oliver Chidawu, his office staff, together with the city council have embarked on an exercise to clean up the city and reclaim the spaces occupied by the barons.
“In Harare we are struggling to deal with space barons. They have grabbed every available open space where they have erected illegal structures, putting up market spaces and charging vendors,” he said after touring the modernised Kudzanai Terminus in Gweru together with his team from Harare.
This terminus, the result of a partnership between an investor and the Gweru City Council, is regarded as a model of modern development and hence the visit.
Minister Chidawu said the illegal structures littering Harare were not benefiting the local authority, hence they have since launched operations to make sure that the city entered into partnerships with businesses to give vendors proper sites next to their customers and transfer the “rentals” from criminals to those who will maintain the decent and legal markets.
“We have launched an operation to make sure we reclaim these market spaces and ensure the local authority gets into public private partnerships with businesses on a win-win basis,” he said.
Minister Chidawu commended Gweru City Council for entering into a partnership with Bentach Resources for the upgrading of the city’s main terminus, adding that Harare would soon be copying the model.
President Mnangagwa recognised the huge role being played by the informal sector in the economy, hence his vision to have adequate, legal and modernised markets and vending stalls for the sector.
“We want to commend Gweru City for this kind of partnership where there is now a clean and decent working space for the informal sector.
“This project was commissioned by President Mnangagwa in December and this shows how our President recognises the massive role played by the informal sector in the economy,” he said.
Minister Chidawu said there was rampant abuse of drugs by the youths and the development of modernised market stalls in cities was likely to create employment and reduce cases of drug abuse.
Gweru mayor, Councillor Hamutendi Kombayi, said the local authority’s partnership with Benatach Resources on the Kudzanayi long distance bus terminus upgrade had improved revenue collection for the city.
“We are looking forward to other private partnerships after realising that it works. We have been recording more revenue collection under this partnership with Bentach resources and this is the way to go,” he said.
Online Reporter