By Staff Reporter
HARARE – Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume has called for a possible ban or stricter regulation of night-time trading in the central business district (CBD) after a video circulated online showing a suspected vendor cooking sadza in the open using a gas cooker.
The footage, widely shared on social media, shows a man preparing sadza along a pavement in the city centre, raising concerns about food safety and the growing presence of night vendors in Harare.
Responding to the video, Mafume warned that such activities pose a serious public health risk and could force authorities to take tougher measures against informal trading at night.
“We will consult the relevant authorities but this calls for a complete ban of night time trading or strict regulation of it.
“This type of serving food in the city center is a serious public health risk,” Mafume said.
“We have the noted the economic push factors but they do not justify this,” added Mafume.
The mayor’s remarks come amid renewed debate over the proliferation of informal traders operating after dark in the capital’s busy commercial areas.
Over the past two decades, Zimbabwe’s prolonged economic difficulties and limited opportunities in the formal sector have driven millions of people into informal activities such as street vending.
Studies indicate that the informal sector has become the largest source of livelihoods, providing income to people who cannot secure formal employment.
In urban centres such as Harare, vendors often begin setting up stalls in the late afternoon or early evening, selling a wide range of goods including vegetables, fruits, clothing and cooked food to commuters and residents returning home from work.
Zimbabwe’s informal economy is now deeply entrenched, with estimates suggesting that the majority of businesses operate outside the formal sector, reflecting high unemployment and limited industrial growth.
Researchers also note that some traders deliberately operate at night or during weekends to access customers and avoid municipal enforcement operations that typically occur during the day.
However, city authorities have repeatedly expressed concern about sanitation, congestion and food safety associated with unregulated street trading in the CBD.
Mafume said the City of Harare would consult relevant authorities before taking a final position, but indicated that stronger regulation was increasingly unavoidable if public health standards were to be maintained.
The latest incident has once again highlighted the difficult balance between enforcing municipal regulations and safeguarding the livelihoods of thousands of urban residents who depend on informal trading for survival.
