BULAWAYO City Council has ordered vendors to immediately vacate “illegal trading points” or face arrest and prosecution for violating the city’s by-laws.
BY NQOBANI NDLOVU
The notice issued by town clerk Middleton Nyoni follows the recent seven-day ultimatum issued by Local Government minister Ignatius Chombo for vendors to vacate the streets or be forced off.
Defence minister Sydney Sekeramayi has, however, clarified that the army would not be involved in the exercise.
Bulawayo streets, like others across the country, are crowded with vendors who have vowed to stay put at their trading places despite several threats by the local authority to remove them and decongest pavements.
Nyoni on Thursday said vendors should approach the council and be allocated legal selling points, saying those trading at undesignated places would face prosecution.
“Notice is hereby given to all vendors who are trading in undesignated sites in the city in contravention of council by-laws to stop their activities forthwith.
Residents who require designated vending space should approach our Dugmore office at the corner of Basch Street (and Third Avenue extension) to register,” he said in the notice.
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“This will assist council to appropriately plan for additional trading space. Those who continue to defy the notice will be prosecuted.”
In the latest council minutes, councillors noted that the issue of vendors had been politicised, with an unnamed political party promising protection for vendors in exchange for votes, and urged them to stay put and defy the council directives.
