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Fungai Lupande
Mashonaland Central Bureau
Informal traders in Mashonaland Central want permanent stalls so they can run their micro-businesses properly.
Bindura Business Community secretary-general Mr Richard Phiri said for years, vendors in the town have not had designated operating sites, making it difficult for them to make long-term business plans.
In 2019, registered vendors were displaced from an area close to TM Supermarkets and they are still wandering around the town.
“There is need for permanent sites for vendors in Bindura, who are reluctant to participate in many programmes due to lack of stability,” said Mr Phiri.
“Other small to medium enterprises are reluctant to join schemes because vendors are operating on their doorsteps. Bindura Municipality is not doing anything to normalise this situation and we want all the informal sector players to be organised so that they benefit from social security schemes.”
Mr Phiri implored the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) to remodel its schemes to suit the prevailing trends because some businesses contributing to NSSA fall under SMEs, but they are equated to big business.
“Contributions to NSSA will go a long way in cushioning them during old age and injury,” said Mr Phiri. Business development officer in the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Mr George Mataya, said although the ministry did not have a comprehensive database of the informal sector, the number had ballooned over the years.
Most in the informal sector were not registered with NSSA and they lack awareness on the importance of social security.
“It is the mandate of the local authority to provide appropriate places of operation to the informal sector. The new site for vendors is still under construction and will be complete soon. We are also hoping that others in the informal sector will be absorbed at our commercial hub once it is complete,” he said.
NSSA deputy director, Mrs Tambudzai Jongwe, said social security is a human right and the informal sector had suffered exclusion for years. NSSA is only covering 24 percent of the formal sector with 3,2 million registered members, of which 1,4 million of them are active while the balance are inactive.
Mrs Jongwe said the 1,8 million inactive members were a reflection of the number of people who lost employment.
“The authority has seen the need to extend social security to workers in the informal sector. We are working closely with the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare on the development of schemes in the informal sector together with the technical assistance from the International Labour Organisation (ILO),” she said.
Online Reporter