“WE GRADUATED FOR THIS?” — GRADUATES TURN TO BRONCLEER AND TOMATOES AS GARWE ORDERS VENDORS OFF HARARE STREETS
By Desire Tshuma
Harare – The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions has condemned Local Government Minister Daniel Garwe’s directive ordering Harare vendors to vacate their trading sites by 9 September 2026 or face forced removal.
ZCTU says the order is cruel and insensitive to thousands of Zimbabweans who rely on street vending to survive. The labour body argues that mass unemployment and economic collapse have pushed people into informal trading, not choice.
The union said the crisis is most visible among graduates. “Our streets are full of hopeless graduates because government has failed to create jobs,” ZCTU stated. It added that thousands of university graduates complete their studies each year only to find no jobs waiting.
With no formal employment, many young academics are now forced to survive by selling airtime, tomatoes, and old, faded clothes on pavements.
The desperation, ZCTU warned, is pushing some into substance abuse.
Tinashe, 26, a BSc holder who now sells airtime at Market Square, said: “I graduated 3 years ago. I sent 40 CVs. Nothing. Some days I make $2. The stress is too much. I started taking broncleer to sleep. I know it’s killing me, but what else do I do when there’s no hope?”
Another vendor, Mai Rudo, 31, who sells second-hand clothes in Copacabana, said: “We are not criminals. We are trying to feed our children. But when you sit all day and no one buys, the depression hits. Boys my age are now on mutoriro. They say the big people bring it to the streets, then blame us when we use it.”
ZCTU described the eviction directive as a heavy-handed, knee-jerk move that punishes the poor for the state’s own failures.
The union also accused both ruling party and opposition politicians of hypocrisy. According to ZCTU, leaders encourage “self-help” projects like vending during election season to win votes, only to turn around and call the same vendors an “eyesore” once the polls are over.
The labour body insists government should deal with the root cause — unemployment — instead of chasing people off the streets.
With the 9 September deadline looming, Harare vendors and authorities now appear headed for a showdown.
