Chiredzi Town Council joins blitz against illegal traders
By Staff Reporter
The Chiredzi Town Council has joined the ongoing blitz against illegal vendors and other unlawful business activities described as a health risk in the small town.
The operation, carried out with support from the Zimbabwe Republic Police, is already taking place in cities such as Harare and Mutare.
In a notice, Chiredzi Town Secretary Engineer Wesley Kauma said the blitz is targeting vendors and traders who have set up makeshift stalls and tuck shops in unauthorised places.
“In line with the Call to Action, Chiredzi Town Council, with support from various law enforcement agencies, will conduct an operation against illegal businesses in the town,” said Kauma.
“There has been a rise in illegal business operations, which has become a big issue in our town.
“Many informal traders and vendors have set-up makeshift stalls and tuck-shops in unauthorised areas. Chiredzi Town Council has provided vendors and traders with designated areas to freely conduct their businesses, as a way to have organised and regulated business transactions and operations.”
Kauma said activities of illegal traders continue to pose a risk to disease outbreaks while causing congestion in the town.
“Vendors and traders’ failure to operate from their designated spaces has resulted in unsightly landscapes around the town, exposure to health risks and disruption of normal business operations as well as traffic flow.
“Furthermore, these illegal activities have gone on to deprive licensed businesses of business opportunities,” Kauma said, adding that the operation was meant to restore order through “enforcement of by-laws, provision of designated trading areas and continued engagement with various stakeholders.”
Most cities and towns in Zimbabwe have seen vendors of fruits, clothing, vegetables and other trinkets flood their central business districts making the places difficult to navigate for both pedestrians and vehicular traffic.
There are not enough public toilets to cater for the mass of traders concentrated in small spaces for long hours day in and day out. Neither are there enough bins to dump residue from perishable products, something that has constantly presented health risks.
The joint operation to flush out illegal traders has already been taking place in cities such as Harare and Mutare and has had the support of central government.
Illegal traders blame the country’s failure to provide employment for its population among the reasons that have seen a lot of them turn to vending as a source of livelihood.
