Urban planning should incorporate vending Vendors sell their wares along Lobengula Street in Bulawayo in this file photo
VENDORS sell their wares along Lobengula Street in Bulawayo in this file photo. There is a need for a paradigm shift whereby these vendors are addressed and trained on best practices so that vending is done systematically

VENDORS sell their wares along Lobengula Street in Bulawayo in this file photo. There is a need for a paradigm shift whereby these vendors are addressed and trained on best practices so that vending is done systematically

Vaidah Mashangwa
THERE has been increased debate over street vendors in and around city centres across the country.

The main reason being most vendors operate at undesignated places, cook and sell food in open spaces thereby posing health hazards to members of the public.

Apart from that, some sell wares without licences.

It is therefore important for street vendors to adhere to the city by-laws and ensure that they meet the set requirements for one to operate as a vendor.

If well managed, vendors are an integral part of urban economies around the world offering easy access to a wide range of goods and services in the public arena.

Vendors sell a cross section of goods from fresh fruits and vegetables, crafts, garments, footwear, electrical gadgets, cosmetics, airtime, fresh flowers and so on.

Most street vendors are women and most of them have provided the main source of income for their households, bringing food to their families and paying fees for their children.

The Informal Economy Monitoring Study (IEMS) revealed that street vendors create jobs for potters, security guards, transport operators, storage providers and others.

Many generate revenue for cities through the payment of licenses and permits, fees and fines and other kinds of taxes.

If well managed, street vendors add vibrancy to urban life and in many places it is considered a cornerstone of historical and cultural heritage.

A good example are the curios that are sold in Bulawayo at the Large City Hall. The vendors have managed to organise themselves over the years into a coherent unit without being in conflict with municipal policies and practices.

Some of the vendors interviewed revealed that they have managed to buy cars, houses and household appliances.

Despite all these positive results, many cities overlook street vendors as economic agents of change and unlike other businesses they are hindered rather than helped by municipal policies.

There is a need for a paradigm shift whereby these vendors are addressed and trained on best practices so that vending is done systematically.

But there is also the likelihood that some of them might not be conversant with the rules and regulations governing vending, as a result many clash with municipal police.

Street vendors are indeed a very large and visible workforce in cities so much that countries cannot simply ignore them.

In Senegal, street vendors make up 13 percent of the population, 19 percent in Benin and 24 percent in Togo, 11 percent in Vietnam and nine percent in Peru. In South Africa, they account for 15 percent and 11 percent in India.

Women are the majority of street vendors in Africa. In Ghana they make up 88 percent, 68 percent in South Africa and 63 percent in Kenya.

In countries where women representation is low, it is due to restricted cultural norms and beliefs.

Apart from that, field research indicates that female traders’ households rely significantly more than male traders’ households on income generated by trading. A significant number of widows and single parents also survive on street vending.

It must be understood too that due to slowed industrial growth, lower demands for exports and increasing unemployment rates, more workers will be pushed into street trading in the informal economy and hence the need for policy makers to re-think street vending as a form of business.

It is important to note that young men and women who choose vending as a business are better off than youths who engage in criminal activities. Research indicates that most of them even struggle to start vending due to lack of funds .One study revealed that most had borrowed capital from family members, friends and relatives. Some vendors start by selling a few things or low-cost items such as cigarettes and sweets before moving into higher- profit items such as shoes and clothing.

Street vendors are encouraged to use designated places to conduct their business because the illegal places they operate from are exposed to harsh weather conditions.

Most of them too do not have running water and toilets on site.

It is important that vendors are trained on occupational health and safety as most do not even realise the health risks associated with the lack of such facilities.

Apart from that, most of the women lift and haul heavy loads of goods to and from their points of sale every day, which is a serious occupational health hazard.

In addition, insufficient waste removal and sanitation services result in unhygienic market conditions thereby undermining the vendors’ sales and health and that of the customers.

There is a dire need for all relevant stakeholders to come up with awareness programmes for vendors so that they are consistently reminded of the need to operate in a clean environment.

It is unfortunate that urban policies and local economic development strategies rarely prioritise vending as a livelihood strategy leaving vendors out during the expansion of cities and infrastructural development.

Some cities across the globe work hand in hand with street vendors to formulate new measures to ensure that vendors take a positive role in making the cities clean. Bangkok is one such good example.

The Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development has organised some of the women traders into Women in Tourism and Women in Trade Association so that they are formal and can take part in major exhibitions such as the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair, Sanganai/Hlanganani. These women have also exhibited in regional and international fairs such as the Shanghai Expo in China.

Vaidah Mashangwa is the Provincial Development Officer in the Ministry of Women Affairs Gender and Community Development. She can be contacted on 0772 111592 email [email protected]

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