AS the deadline for vendors to quit the streets approaches, the informal traders have appealed to the government to fix the economy and create job opportunities, saying their business ventures are not sustainable in the long run.
Bulawayo, like most cities and towns in the country, is faced with a growing number of vendors due to the collapse of the economy which has forced millions of Zimbabweans to eke out a living by trading on the streets.
Speaking at a meeting with Bulawayo City Council officials at the Large City Hall on Monday, vendors here said they had been forced to turn to informal trading due to economic hardships.
"Vending is not a sustainable venture and cannot provide sustained livelihood for the people of Bulawayo in the long run.
"Instead of promoting vending, we must eradicate it and provide people with jobs," said a representative of one of the vendor associations.
In response, the mayor, Councillor Martin Moyo, said employment creation was the responsibility of central government.
"It is the duty of government and individual companies to resuscitate the economy and provide employment opportunities.
"Our responsibility as council is to offer opportunities to those who want to invest in our city," the mayor said.
Analysts and opposition political parties have blamed the proliferation of vendors on the Zanu PF government for failing to provide the two million jobs it promised ahead of the July 2013 elections.
Ironically, it was a member of the same government, local government minister Ignatius Chombo, who ordered vendors to stop operating from the central business districts, issuing a seven-day ultimatum which was later extended and is set to expire on June 26.
Quizzed on the local authority's plan in response to the June 26 deadline, the mayor said they were yet to come up with a comprehensive plan.
"What is the city's plan regarding the relocation of vendors from the streets to the designated vending sites since the deadline is on Friday
"Will the council be able to accommodate all the vendors and informal traders?" asked one vendor.
The mayor responded: "We are trying our best so that on the 27th of June we have made arrangements for you."
Deputy mayor Councillor Gift Banda, weighed in saying, "We would not be able to complete the allocation of vending sites, it is a process that will continue well beyond the 27th of June."
The local authority admitted that it has a ballooning waiting list for vending sites and that it would be difficult to fit all vendors and informal traders into the designated bays.
Bulawayo, like most cities and towns in the country, is faced with a growing number of vendors due to the collapse of the economy which has forced millions of Zimbabweans to eke out a living by trading on the streets.
Speaking at a meeting with Bulawayo City Council officials at the Large City Hall on Monday, vendors here said they had been forced to turn to informal trading due to economic hardships.
"Vending is not a sustainable venture and cannot provide sustained livelihood for the people of Bulawayo in the long run.
"Instead of promoting vending, we must eradicate it and provide people with jobs," said a representative of one of the vendor associations.
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| Vendors urge government to create jobs to end invasion of cities. |
"It is the duty of government and individual companies to resuscitate the economy and provide employment opportunities.
"Our responsibility as council is to offer opportunities to those who want to invest in our city," the mayor said.
Analysts and opposition political parties have blamed the proliferation of vendors on the Zanu PF government for failing to provide the two million jobs it promised ahead of the July 2013 elections.
Ironically, it was a member of the same government, local government minister Ignatius Chombo, who ordered vendors to stop operating from the central business districts, issuing a seven-day ultimatum which was later extended and is set to expire on June 26.
Quizzed on the local authority's plan in response to the June 26 deadline, the mayor said they were yet to come up with a comprehensive plan.
"What is the city's plan regarding the relocation of vendors from the streets to the designated vending sites since the deadline is on Friday
"Will the council be able to accommodate all the vendors and informal traders?" asked one vendor.
The mayor responded: "We are trying our best so that on the 27th of June we have made arrangements for you."
Deputy mayor Councillor Gift Banda, weighed in saying, "We would not be able to complete the allocation of vending sites, it is a process that will continue well beyond the 27th of June."
The local authority admitted that it has a ballooning waiting list for vending sites and that it would be difficult to fit all vendors and informal traders into the designated bays.
