The Government has given the Harare City Council a seven-day ultimatum to remove traders operating from undesignated spots in order to curb the spread of cholera.

Addressing a post-Cabinet media briefing in Harare this week, the Minister of Health and Child Care Douglas Mombeshora warned the local authority that if it fails to decisively deal with the vendors, the central Government “will move in”. Said Mombeshora:

So we have had a conversation with the Municipality of Harare authorities to take remedial measures, failure of which we will have to move in as Government, and definitely, we have to remove these illegal vendors because they will cost us lives.

We have to save lives, we have to stop this cholera from spreading so no one should be left doing the wrong thing because we will lose lives.

We gave them a week to take corrective measures, failure of which Government we will move in.

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He said the overcrowding of vendors at illegal places where there are no sanitary facilities has resulted in more cholera hotspots. Said Mombeshora:

After looking at all factors we came up with that decision having realised that vendors are all over the roads, at shopping centres people are cooking food, selling tomatoes, and vegetables but if you look at it there is no water to clean these commodities and there are no toilets so what is happening from morning till evening when all these vendors are there and they are overcrowded areas.

Designated places have toilets, proper tables and water to wash hands, vegetables and goods, so that is what we want to see taking place in Harare.

He also said in Harare, there are challenges with water supply, poor refuse disposal and poor sewage reticulation.

Mombeshora said Kuwadzana suburb accounts for 40 percent of cholera cases in Harare.

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