adminLuthando Mapepa Post Correspondent
THE once sour relationship between Chipinge Town Council and vendors is set to end following the construction of a permanent structure to accommodate hundreds of vendors.Construction work is expected to be complete by end of this year.
Over the years, vendors were often at loggerheads with the town council over the collection of rates arguing that they were too high considering that there were no proper facilities at the market place.
Most vendors who were interviewed by The Manica Post last week expressed mixed feelings over the construction of a permanent structure which the council argues will normalise the relationship between the two parties.
Some of them call for transparency on the allocation of stands at the new site, while others called for the speedy completion of the building before the onset of the rainy season.
A vendor only identified as Maduve, who has been operating at Chipinge Market for the past 10 years, welcomed the new stall and said it would improve her business.
“The town council did an excellent job by constructing permanent structures for the vendors. Surely our profits will be enhanced.
“We were tired of being shifted from one place to another, something which has been affecting our operations,” she said.
Another vendor, Simbiso Sibiya, urged the local authority to be transparent when allocating stands at the new building.
He said the building has the capacity to accommodate all vendors in Chipinge town if the stands were distributed in a more transparent manner.
“We are looking forward to being given the first preference at the new building because we have been displaced several times when this project started early this year.
“Our hope is that there will be no bias when the council allocates the stands,” he said.
Others castigated the town council for neglecting them for some time while they were paying rates.
Moses Mazviro said they were paying rates over the years, but no developments were being done at Chipinge Musika.
“At least there is light at the end of the tunnel, but we are still operating under harsh conditions here. We were paying rates, but there has not been any progress in improving services for years.
“At least now, public toilets and water facilities are now improving. I hope this will continue to be the trend in the future,” he added.
Chipinge Town Council chairperson Clr Huni recently said his leadership inherited a council with heavy debts.
He said although they were trying to normalise everything, they were also urging all stakeholders to remain patient because development cannot come overnight.
Online Reporter