adminH-Metro Reporter
HARARE City Council has said it will not hesitate to demolish any illegal structures that it will find in and around the capital.
For a long time, Mbare has been degenerating into a sea of disorder, with filth and crime turning Zimbabwe’s oldest suburb, into a slum.
Council spokesperson, Innocent Ruwende, said illegal structures in Mbare will be demolished.
“As council, we have by-laws which we follow. We give these vendors, and anyone occupying an illegal place, a 48-hour notice to notify them that the place they are occupying is illegal,” he said.
“The reason why we then go ahead and demolish is because the vendors will be adamant as they will be refusing to vacate the illegal premises.
“We were in Mbare sometime last year demolishing these illegal structures and today (yesterday) we are back again because the vendors keep on erecting these illegal stalls.”
Ruwende said Council was identifying vending sites to decongest Mbare.
“Vendors are encouraged to go to Coca-Cola Market and Colcom, which are legal vending sites, because as long as they are in Mbare, we will continue to demolish their stalls.
“We have legal vending sites for them so they should make use of those areas.”
Ruwende said they had increased surveillance in Mbare.
“We have increased surveillance development control, which is going around and checking the situation on the ground, and we have issued out orders to stop erecting illegal vending stalls,” he said.
A vendor outside Mupedzanhamo, Bright Chinembiri, said they preferred to sell in undesignated areas where there is high traffic of people.
“They should open a new place for us because this place was our source of income,” he said.
“At least, if they had told us in advance that they were going to come and demolish our tables, we would have removed them nicely because they are expensive for us to erect.”
Another vendor, Edward Chimusoro, said they had no option but to rebuild their illegal structures at the same place.
“All we want is a place where we can do our business because this is where we get money for our upkeep,” he said.
Online Reporter