Chronicle Editor
Blessings Chidakwa Midlands Bureau
Local authorities in the Midlands Province have heeded President Mugabe’s call to move vendors operating on the streets from the central business district (CBD) to pave way for the free flow of human and vehicular traffic. Councils in the province have since deployed municipal police on the streets to ensure vendors comply with the directive. Kwekwe Mayor Councillor Matenda Madzoke yesterday said vendors operating on the streets were becoming a menace and the call by the Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces should be taken seriously to end the chaos.
“We have taken heed of President Mugabe’s call to bring back sanity to the CBD and as Kwekwe City we have started moving vendors to their designated points. We were losing sleep over vendors, but the President has assisted us a lot since relevant arms of Government are now assisting us in the process to bring order to our city,” he said.
Gweru City Council has given vendors up to the end of this month to clear the streets. In a statement, the town clerk, Ms Elizabeth Gwatipedza, said the council would start confiscating goods from vendors who defied the directive.
“Council will confiscate goods that are being sold on illegal vending points without further notice. No push carts are allowed in the Central Business District (CBD), including vehicles selling goods at undesignated areas. All illegal vendors who are trading on the streets of Gweru and need legal trading space should apply to council and should move out of the streets by 22 October 2017,” she said.
Last month, Government bemoaned the increase of people vending in the city centres of most municipalities. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and National Housing, Engineer George Mlilo is on record as saying the situation in most cities and towns was scaring away potential investors.
Online Reporter