Vendors operating in Harare’s Central Business District will clean-up the streets on June 16 and 17 to pave way for the relocation exercise.
The “mega clean-up” campaign is being organised by Queen of Grace ZIMASSET Trust an organisation that deals with informal traders who include vendors and small to medium enterprises. While addressing a press conference that was held on the 15th of June, Ephraim Chizola the CEO of the Queen of Grace ZIMASSET Trust said that his organisation was in support of the relocation of vendors to designated sites.
“We have since embarked on an exercise of educating our members nationwide on the advantages of supporting the timeous initiative (relocation of vendors) … and have taken a huge step in this regard by mobilising our Harare membership to host a mega clean-up campaign starting on the 16th of June where we have more than 2,500 participants who will be cleaning up the City to pave way for this relocation exercise,” said Chizola.
The clean-up campaign will start at the Gulf Complex and will cover Robert Mugabe Road and Julius Nyerere Way among other roads. The clean-up campaign will end at the Main Post Office where addresses will be made by some senior government officials.
“On the 17th we will be joining forces with Star FM as we engage in a corporate responsibility program where we will be cleaning Harare hospital and donating food stuffs and sanitary products to patients in various wards,” added Chizola.
Government announced on 1 June 2015, that illegal vendors should move away from illegal points to council designated sites by 8 June 2015 before extending the deadline to 26 June 2015. However, the relocation has been rejected by other vendors’ organisations.
Chizola who claimed that his organisation has got a countrywide membership of 2,1 million said that members who belong to his organisation were willing to move and will start relocation on the day of the clean-up campaign.
“Vendors are in support of council’s new vending sites because they are tired of being nomads. So by 29 June our members will have moved out of town to the designated sites,” claimed Chizola.
Chizola also said that the Queen of Grace ZIMASSET Trust has also mobilised a revolving fund that will cater for 130,000 vendors countrywide who will require financial assistance to start up their businesses.
City of Harare has introduced four new trading sites that are set to accommodate vendors who are being moved from illegal vending points in the CBD. These new vending spaces are namely the Holding Bay at the corner of Coventry Road and Rotten Row, the open space at the corner of Cripps Road and Seke Road, Luna Park ground at the City Sports Centre and lastly Tsiga Open Space in Mbare.
