Harare CBD vendors living on borrowed time
OPERATION Chenesa Harare is in full swing with vendors operating in the Central Business District set to be evicted in a move meant to restore sanity in the CBD.
Following the successful launch of Operation Chenesa Harare by government, which saw garbage and debris being cleared from the streets, the Harare City Council has announced plans to remove street vendors, in a move aimed at further restoring order and sanity to the urban environment.
The move was announced by Harare City Council Spokesperson, Mr Stanley Gama.
“We are making efforts to make sure our vendors operate from designated points. In Harare, we have more than 500,000 registered vendors and more are still coming to register. So, it’s a problem for us as city council, it’s also a problem for government. So, we need to work together to make sure we get rid of the vendors.
“We are not doing this only for SADC, but for the cleanliness and better conditions in the city. We need a clean city, we need the city to operate without disturbance from vendors. Yes, are trying to make sure our vendors operate from designated vending points, and we have designated vending points around the city and we are opening new ones, there will be a new one I think around 4th and Copacabana,” he said.
Meanwhile, Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic (VISET) Executive Director, Samuel Wadzai, has urged the Harare City Council to consider the needs of vendors and explore alternative solutions that will not jeopardise their livelihoods.
“We understand and appreciate calls by the local authorities to keep the city clean, but we disagree with the approach that will leave our people wallow in poverty. So the city should come up with measures that is to create more spaces. So,we call upon local authorities to build more infrastructure that our vendors can operate from. Other countries have managed to do it so well to create spaces that vendors can operate from. You know during weekends we can be closing some pavements to ensure that everyone survives. The concept of inclusive cities should apply in this point in time,” he said.
Harare is poised for a transformative rebirth as the city launches a comprehensive drive to restore order, and revitalise its urban landscape after government read the riot act.