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Whinsley Masara, Chronicle Reporter
SCORES of vendors yesterday confronted Bulawayo Mayor, Councillor Martin Moyo, demanding that he comes out of his office to address them on the criteria used to allocate vending bays, amid claims of corruption.
The mayor did not come out and it could not be established if he had been at his offices at that time.
A vendor, Magura Charumbira, said they were not happy with the way council was allocating vending bays along 5th Avenue and Jason Moyo.
“This crowd that you are seeing here initially registered with the council to acquire vending bays after they had been illegally operating on the site before it was marked.
They all registered last year so that when the market place would be marked they could legally operate there. Apparently, after marking was completed three weeks ago we are seeing new faces coming there to operate on that site,” he said.
He said the crowd was planning a demonstration against what he termed a corrupt system.
“Most of the vendors, who have been placed there, came from other vending sites which are being raided by council officials on a daily basis.
These people have revealed that they paid bribes to acquire those stands and the main culprit who initiates those bribes has tipped some vendors who are here to follow suit stating that they would never get those stands on a fair basis,” he said.
Three vendors, Sidumisile Sibanda, Sifiso Ndlovu and Zodwa Ndlovu say they were made to pay $40 each by three named council officials.
They all paid the money about three weeks ago on the promise that the next day we would be allocated permanent stands but, they say, to date the three officials are not reachable.
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