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Yoliswa Dube-Moyo, Matabeleland South Bureau Chief

VENDORS who were allocated the central rank and OK vending stalls in Gwanda are shunning the vending bays citing low traffic.

This has resulted in a significant number of vendors opting to operate in the city centre illegally, heightening the cat and mouse game between council police and vendors who insist on operating from undesignated points, which bring in more money.

Vendors were allocated some points to operate from but they complain that these areas are secluded and have low business.

The points also cannot cater for all vendors, forcing some of them to operate from illegal selling points.

Vendors were moved from the city centre in March 2020 to carry out a disinfection exercise following the outbreak of Covid-19 and bring sanity in the town.

Vendors in the town recently wrote to the municipality seeking permission to operate from the city centre saying that was where they could record good business and to be allocated more working space.

Ms Sheila Sibanda, a vendor in the town said she would rather risk having a run-in with council police than operate from the allocated vending bays with low business.

“The area behind the NSSA complex is very quiet and there is little activity there so we don’t make much sales.

“We would rather try our luck in town where we come across more people to buy our wares,” said Ms Sibanda.

A vending licence costs US$37, while rentals for a bay is US$11,50 in the central business district and around US$5,50 per month in the high density areas.

The chairperson of Gwanda Urban Chamber of SMEs representing the informal sector, Mr Michael Masakana Ndlovu said vendors are concerned as business was low in the designated selling points.

He said they decided to write a letter to the municipality imploring council to look into their grievances.

Mr Ndlovu said in their letter they also requested to be allocated a portion of land near the Gwanda Municipality Park which could be turned into a vending site.

He said a number of vendors still do not have working space.

“As vendors our plea is to be allocated working space in busy areas. We want our products to be visible to the people so that we don’t lose business. If people can’t reach us easily they will opt to buy from shops,” he said.

Gwanda Mayor Councillor Njabulo Siziba said vendors will not be allocated any new places to sell their wares from.

“The designated areas remain the legal selling points.

What we’re trying to do is to make the places that they were allocated become viable. We’re in the process of returning all commuter omnibuses and buses plying rural routes to return to Renkini.

“We want to try and make the main ranks for all taxis to become a hive of activity.

Travellers in and out of the town are usually interested in buying.

It’s work in progress but we want a situation whereby all commuting will be concentrated in the areas where we want people to sell their wares from,” said Clr Siziba. — @Yolisswa