Staff Reporter
Kwekwe mayor Cllr Albert Zinhanga says government’s directive to remove vendors from undesignated sites is not a ban on vending but a crackdown on illegal vending.
Zinhanga said the local authority would enforce the directive issued by Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe, which takes effect on Wednesday, September 9.
Addressing residents at a Ward 1 feedback meeting at Mbizo Youth Centre on Monday, Zinhanga said council was bound by the government directive.
“As a local authority we will have to comply with the government directive which came through our minister. As a city our hands are tied,” he said.
Cllr Zinhanga said vendors would still be allowed to operate from designated vending sites.
“We are not stopping vending. The minister is saying we are stopping illegal vending. Vendors are directed to vend at their designated vending sites. No to illegal vending sites,” he said.
He said enforcement would be carried out jointly by the Zimbabwe Republic Police and the Kwekwe City Council security department.
Zinhanga urged vendors and residents to cooperate with authorities and share information about the directive.
The enforcement drive comes amid concerns over informal trading in Kwekwe’s central business district and around bus termini, where some traders operate outside designated vending areas.
Council says designated vending sites remain available and that the exercise is intended to address street congestion, public health concerns and urban order.
