By Victor Fanuel
HARARE — Informal traders operating from undesignated sites in Harare and other urban areas face eviction by September 9 after the government issued a final warning ahead of a nationwide crackdown.
Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe said vendors trading outside designated markets must vacate their sites voluntarily before a “comprehensive, zero-tolerance clean-up operation” begins in Harare.
The operation will see illegal vending structures, stalls and trading sites removed, with municipal police deployed to prevent traders from returning.
Garwe said the exercise would begin in Harare and Greater Harare before being rolled out “systematically” to other cities, towns and urban settlements.
Government says the operation is intended to restore order, improve sanitation, clear pathways and ease congestion in urban areas.
“Whilst the government acknowledges the existence of informal trading as a recognised avenue of livelihood, this, however, should be within the bounds of municipal by-laws and at legally designated marketplaces,” Garwe said.
He described the current state of street trading as “disorderliness” which had “become a threat to the health and security of our nation”.
The directive has, however, drawn concern from the Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation (VISET), which warned that removing traders without viable alternatives could undermine the government’s recently adopted National Informal Economy Formalisation Strategy.
VISET said the strategy represented “an important policy shift towards recognising the informal economy as a critical component of Zimbabwe’s economy” and addressing informality through inclusion, formalisation, social protection, decent work, infrastructure and participation.
“Formalisation cannot mean simply removing people from where they currently earn a living.
“It must create pathways for informal traders to transition into safer, more secure and sustainable forms of economic activity,” VISET said.
The organisation urged government and local authorities to provide adequate and affordable trading spaces before displacing vendors.
It also called for meaningful participation by informal traders and their representative organisations in decisions on relocation, designated trading spaces and enforcement.
VISET further demanded transparent enforcement, protection against harassment and arbitrary confiscation of goods, as well as affordable and simplified registration and licensing procedures.
It said designated trading sites should have basic infrastructure including sanitation, water, waste management, storage, security and access to markets.
“Zimbabwe can achieve clean, orderly and functional cities without sacrificing the livelihoods and dignity of informal traders,” VISET said.
Government’s deadline comes as informal trading has become a major source of income for Zimbabweans amid a heavily informalised economy.
Official figures and international labour assessments have put informal employment at more than 80% of the working population, with informal businesses absorbing workers unable to secure jobs in the formal economy.
Vending has also become a source of livelihood for retrenched workers, school leavers and others who have struggled to find formal employment.
Previous municipal clean-up campaigns, including Operation Murambatsvina in 2005, resulted in the destruction of informal businesses and homes and drew criticism from rights groups over their impact on vulnerable communities.
VISET said the latest operation should instead be used to advance the formalisation programme.
“We therefore encourage Government to view the forthcoming operation not merely as a cleanup exercise, but as an opportunity to advance the formalisation agenda through constructive engagement, appropriate infrastructure, social protection and sustainable livelihood opportunities,” it said.
The government has instructed local authorities to facilitate the registration and orderly placement of compliant traders in designated structures.
It remains unclear how many designated trading spaces are currently available or whether they have sufficient capacity to accommodate all vendors affected by the September 9 deadline.
VISET said it was ready to engage government, local authorities, informal traders and other stakeholders to find solutions that balance orderly urban development with the livelihoods of informal economy workers.
