adminLovemore Chikova
Development Dialogue
The huge number of people on the streets of Harare in recent days could actually pose a difficult situation for the authorities with regards to Covid-19.
If left unchecked, the country might soon find itself having to deal with a complicated web of Covid-19 contact tracing that might be very difficult to untangle.
A lot of people who do not have any formal business making them easier to trace are actually back on some streets of Harare, carrying out all sorts of nefarious activities.
Illegal money changers are back to their usual ways on the streets, harassing anyone they presume to be their prospective customer.
And they appear emboldened this time around, shouting their voices horse while advertising different currencies they deal in.
The illegal money changers also resort to uncouth methods of blocking pathways for people in a bid to draw their attention to their “business”.
People might have been used to these money changers on the streets of Harare, but the fact that they are carrying out their “business” without any due concern in these times of Covid-19 becomes more worrying.
In fact, it is not only the illegal money changers who are back on the streets of Harare, hordes of other “dealers” of all sorts are also back in the area around the former Ximex Mall.
Some vendors, especially those selling shoes, satchels and belts, are also back, mainly along First Street Mall.
If one walks in the area around First Street Mall and the former Ximex Mall, they might be forgiven to think that the country is no longer under Covid-19 lockdown.
The regulations governing the lockdown simply state that those who have no formal business in the city centre should not dare set their foot there.
The idea is to avoid congestion and ensure that there are as few people as possible in the city centre for proper social distancing.
But it seems these unscrupulous people have devised ways to avoid being detected at roadblocks or they are choosing routes without roadblocks for them to access the city centre.
While many well-meaning people in formal businesses go through roadblocks where they have to prove themselves, it seems the crooked lot still finds it much easier to reach the city centre.
This makes the huge number of people around the major streets in Harare’s city centre undesirable, as they increase chances of spreading Covid-19.
What makes the situation of high concern is that in case someone from this area contracts the virus that causes Covid-19, contact tracing will pose huge challenges to the authorities.
This is because these people tend to mix and mingle with their “customers” from diverse backgrounds, most of whom they are not familiar with.
They do not do temperatures checks or use sanitisers on themselves or those they deal with. From the look of things, these street dealers appear not to care much about maintaining basic hygiene while doing their “business”.
They like to gather in groups discussing various issues, and some bring their beer and hold binges right on the street.
While they have face masks, the illegal dealers prefer to drop them to their necks and only cover their mouths and noses when they think a police officer could arrest them.
In fact, these people are all out to break all the rules and regulations meant to avoid the spread of Covid-19, which by Tuesday had infected 314 people and killed four others in Zimbabwe.
Yet, the illegal money changers and the loafers at the former Ximex Mall’s activities are not meant to aid economic development in any way.
They are all engaging in illegal activities that have negative consequences on the developmental aspirations of the nation.
If they are left unattended, the country might actually find itself needing more resources to deal with Covid-19 cases in case there is an infection from the streets.
This money could have been channelled to developmental programmes.
Clearly, the people who continue to throng the city centre for other activities are just serving self-interests at the expense of the country’s development.
This calls for law enforcement agents to turn their attention to these areas where some are breaking the Covid-19 regulations, while at the same time engaging in unlawful activities.
The illegal money changers in First Street Mall are actually operating right in front of a police post, but they continue as if they are immune to arrest.
If left unattended, these groups of people could be the next major sources of Covid-19 because of their lack of observance of the set regulations.
Those entrusted with enforcing the regulations should just acknowledge that there are a lot of people who still find their way into the city centre despite the roadblocks.
Their next step should be to trace these people right into the city centre, and if they do this they will eventually discover that some of them are the illegal money changers on First Street Mall and “dealers” at the former Ximex Mall.
From then on, laws that govern the Covid-19 restrictions should be applied in their strictest sense to ensure the offenders do not return to the streets.
It should just be made clear to those individuals that it is not yet time to loiter in the city centre because of Covid-19.
Apart from regulations to contain Covid-19, there are various laws and rules enacted in recent years which can still be used to contain illegal foreign currency dealers.
There is need to get tougher with these criminals who continue to distort the economic fundamentals in the country.
These illegal dealers in foreign currency form just an insignificant fraction of the country’s population, yet they seem to be in the driving seat when it comes to setting the market trends in terms of the currency exchange rates.
In recent days, they have been announcing a new exchange rate almost on a daily basis, which businesses, especially retailers, adopted to reflect on prices.
This has resulted in an unprecedented rise in prices in the last few weeks which have eroded most salaries and left many families struggling through the Covid-19 lockdown. The wild exchange rates do not consider any economic fundamentals as they are driven by people out to make a profit at whatever cost.
It is time that such criminals are made aware that their activities are not tolerated anymore, yet letting them come back to the streets and operate freely gives them a sense of impunity.
This is made more glaring, especially when they are able to do their “business” on the streets under the tight regulations to minimise the spread of Covid-19.
Online Reporter