Zimpapers Logo

Abigail Mawonde Harare Bureau
Government yesterday gave a reprieve to illegal vendors after it extended the deadline by which they should move out of the streets to June 26 from the initial next Monday as more time is required to provide sufficient decent trading places.Before the vendors move out, they will be asked to clean up the streets and remove all litter in the central business district.

The illegal vendors, who recently flooded the streets, especially in Harare, are now expected to be formally registered and those still interested in the trade will then move to designated places.

Addressing a Press conference in Harare yesterday, Small to Medium Enterprises and Co-operative Development Minister Sithembiso Nyoni said Cabinet had come up with a position paper outlining how illegal vending should be addressed.

“From the 26th of June, anybody who is not registered and has no card, has no vendor number and no vendor site, will not be allowed on the streets of Harare,” she said.

“I am sure you heard the ultimatum was for next week, but my ministry, together with the Ministry of Local Government, have negotiated to have a smooth process. We are working together with the Ministry of Home Affairs and other ministries,” said Minister Nyoni.

“So, if any of the vendors has a problem, let them approach their association and I mean the associations registered with my ministry and Local Government, not space barons.

“Nobody should pay money to anybody, but the city council. Even you association leaders should not receive any money.”

Minister Nyoni said Government noted that vendors were not on the streets willingly, but because of sanctions-induced economic hardships.

“Today, we want to put a close to the speculation as to what Government is doing about the vendors. So, yesterday Cabinet approved a paper to deal with the plight of vendors throughout the country beginning with Harare,” she said.

“The influx of vendors in the central business districts across the country is not a stand alone process. It is both a symptom and result of economic problems which are currently facing our nation and the formal economy alone currently has no capacity to absorb both the skilled and unskilled labour.”

Minister Nyoni said her ministry, the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, the City of Harare and other stakeholders, had for the past six months been working on measures to deal with the problem in a professional manner.

“To this end, the Ministry of Local Government is constructing permanent SME structures in Harare and throughout the country,” she said.

Minister Nyoni said a private company, Imhanya, had been engaged to provide “Box Parks” for SMEs.

“These Box Parks have got appropriate, affordable, user friendly and environmentally supportive infrastructure,” she said. “These Box Parks are adaptable as well. They can be moved. They can be collapsed and they can be re-assembled according to the needs and the decisions of the local authority as well as the informal sector,” she said.

“This is why I said as a ministry, together with Local Government, we are not just providing solutions to vendors, we are providing a holistic solution for vendors, distributors and manufactures in the same Box Park so that we accommodate those people who are vending not because they want to vend, but because their own specialty has not been facilitated.”

The new facilities for vendors will have ablution blocks, running water and electricity generators.

“And we are doing this with the local authority to ensure that everybody complies with the city by-laws,” said Minister Nyoni.

“Not everyone on the streets is a vendor. Some of them are there because the circumstance are beyond their control. They cannot do what they are qualified to do. This solution also brings with it certain incentives, so those that are going to be accommodated within these facilities will enjoy the incentives.”

Minister Nyoni said her ministry and Imhanya negotiated with big companies to bring goods to the SMEs owners who would pay after sales.

“The second incentive is that there is going to be a fund for SMEs housed in these Box Parks to borrow from for their capitalisation,” she said. “This fund will be launched very soon.

“The third incentive is that the Ministry of SMEs is going to avail training workshops for all the people who will be relocated into these premises so that they are facilitated for business growth and sustainability.”

Minister Nyoni said Government was against people doing business haphazardly and wants a proper business approach.

“They (the vendors) will also be organised according to clusters,” she said. “So, those that are doing clothes will be on their own, fruits and vegetables, leather and leather products will be housed in their respective parks. We want to create a sunshine city.”

Over 6 000 vendors are expected to benefit in Harare alone.

“From today (yesterday), we would like you (vendors’ leaders) to call upon all your members to register with local authorities,” said Minister Nyoni.

“When they go to register, they will be given a card, a number and a site where they will be vending from. So, after the cut-off date, anyone who has no card, no number, no site to go to, will not be allowed to trade anywhere.

“From the 8th to the 14th of June, vendor associations and their members are asked to clean up Harare. You have to clean up Harare yourselves because we have agreed together with your leaders and the local authority has been talking to you, my ministry has been talking to you, the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Ministry of Tourism and Environment, all of us have agreed that nobody should clean-up for you.

“You need to take care of your own environment. So, call upon your members to start from next week to clean-up, preparing themselves for relocation.”

Minister Nyoni said the relocations would be done in stages.

“On the 15th of June or thereabout, we are going to launch the SME Fund that vendors and SMEs that are registered and want to manufacture within these parks can access. And on the 26th of June we are now going to launch this solution,” she said.