Tsvangirai Slams Government-planned Blitz on Vendors

The Norton MP warned that removing people from the informal economy without a transitional framework risks deepening unemployment and poverty levels. · 3 September 2026

Norton legislator Richard Tsvangirayi has condemned government’s directive for all illegal street vendors to vacate city streets by September 9, arguing the move disregards the socioeconomic realities facing millions of Zimbabweans.

In a response to the nationwide cleanup operation announced by Local Government minister Daniel Garwe on Wednesday, Tsvangirayi told NewsDay that vending is an “economic survival mechanism” for many mothers, young people and families due to the lack of formal employment.

“These are mothers, young people and families attempting to earn an honest living. For many, vending is not a lifestyle choice it is an economic survival mechanism in the absence of adequate formal employment opportunities,” he said.

“If we dismantle these livelihoods without providing viable alternatives, what precisely are we asking our people to do?” he questioned.

The Norton MP warned that removing people from the informal economy without a transitional framework risks deepening unemployment and poverty levels.

“Worse still, it can push already vulnerable citizens into desperation and potentially criminal activity,” he added.

Tsvangirayi described the government’s approach as “a worrying disconnect between policymaking and the lived economic realities of our people.”

He added that the policy objective should be formalisation, not suppression.

“The policy objective should not be the suppression of the informal economy, but its formalisation and integration into the broader productive economy,” Tsvangirayi stated.

He called for a coherent framework including designated trading spaces, affordable licensing, access to finance, basic infrastructure, market linkages and appropriate regulatory mechanisms. “These measures would enable informal traders to operate within the law, increase productivity, expand their economic contribution and progressively transition into sustainable formal enterprises,” he said.

“We cannot claim to be fighting poverty while simultaneously removing the livelihoods of people who have no viable alternative source of income.” *NewsDay*

*Graft-accused Bulawayo Deputy Mayor, 3 Other Councillors Get US$500 Bail*
Bulawayo deputy mayor Edwin Ndlovu and three other councillors arrested on extortion charges were granted US$500 bail each by the High Court on Wednesday.

Ndlovu, who chairs the council’s business and stands allocation committees, and councillors Ntandoyenkosi Ndlovu, Mxolisi Mahlanga and Ashton Mhlanga were granted bail by Justice Naison Chivhayo after a magistrate had earlier denied them bail.

Former councillor Alderman Rodney Jele, who is jointly charged with the four councillors, remains in custody after his earlier bail application was dismissed.

The five are accused of soliciting a US$52,000 bribe from businessman Mthuli Thulani Matshazi, who in 2023 secured a 59-year lease from the council through his company, Mkhuze Global Investment, to develop a Hilton Hotel on land near the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair.

The councillors allegedly told Matshazi that no development had taken place on the property and that another investor had offered US$52,000 to have his lease terminated.

Matshazi could retain the lease if he matched the US$52,000 offer, the councillors allegedly told him.

Matshazi subsequently reported the matter to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), whose investigators allegedly set a trap for Jele.

Jele was arrested after allegedly accepting US$5,000 in marked banknotes as part payment of the bribe, according to the State.

The councillors are represented by Sithole Law Chambers. *Zimlive*