Harare CBD Vendors Protest Planned Removal Ahead Of SADC Summit
Vendors in Harare have expressed strong dismay over the government’s plans to remove them from the central business district (CBD) ahead of the upcoming SADC (Southern African Development Community) Summit scheduled for next month.
The government intends to clear the Harare CBD of street vendors to enhance the city’s image and ensure a clean and orderly environment for the regional event.
Street vending has become a vital source of livelihood for many Zimbabweans, especially in the context of the country’s struggling economy.
With limited formal employment opportunities and a high rate of unemployment, informal trading has become a crucial means of survival for a significant portion of the population.
Vendor representatives argue that street vending is the only viable means of earning a living for many and that the government’s plans to relocate them will have a devastating impact on their ability to support themselves and their families.
Speaking to NewsDay, Zimbabwe Chamber of Informal Economy secretary-general Wisbon Malaya said:
The vendors are being left behind and viewed as objects or garbage. Chasing vendors from their workplaces is further impoverishing the already poor. The implications are multiple especially this year when the country is in a drought disaster state.
Harassment, confiscation of goods, arrests and corrupt practices happening on vendors only refers to the re-invention of the colonial era.
We seek dialogue with the forces that be to find an amicable solution to the situation without abusing the vulnerable citizens.
Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation executive director Samuel Wadzai said:
We saw the pronouncements by the government about its plans to remove vendors. Our view is that this is ill-informed.
Why should we obliterate the livelihoods of our people simply because we want to see clean streets?
If they say they no longer need people on the streets, they should provide alternatives and identify suitable spaces so they can operate from there.
Zimbabwe is scheduled to host the 44th Ordinary SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government in August 2024 in Harare where leaders from the 16 SADC Member States will convene to discuss regional policies, economic development, and cooperation.
More: Pindula News
