Vendors and traders have expressed disappointment over government’s failure to protect and secure their operations saying their hopes in the President Emmerson Mnangagwa administration has not yielded positive results as the recently enacted policy to outlaw multi-currency use in the country is hitting hard on their operations.
Addressing the media last week, informal traders including Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Association (BVTA), Vendors Initiative and Economic Transformation (VISET), Zimbabwe Cross Border Traders Association (ZCBTA) as well as Women Alliance of Business Association Zimbabwe (WABAZ) who are all affiliated to the Zimbabwe Chamber of Informal Economy Association (ZCIEA) said that they pinned their hopes on President Emerson Mnangagwa whom they thought would make the informal sector recognized but now have to cope with the day to day cat and mouse chase with municipal police in all Central Business Districts (CBD) across the nation.
“Do not criminalize our work, after all we feel let down by ruling party after July 30 elections, now we want a clear policy on informal work. We thought that for a moment everything is going to be well for us but now we are the most to suffer from the US dollar ban,” President of ZICHEA, Lorraine Sibanda.
Speaking on the abolition of multi-currency regime, Sibanda said any policy changes requires engagement and dialogue before implementation.
“We are in a state of confusion about the government’s move to ditch multi currency use,i will not claim to know about how we, as informal economy traders going to move from here but my thinking is when ever there is change, there is need for engagement and dialogue before a bombshell dropping on citizens,” she added.
Sibanda demanded that workers in the informal sector be protected from the law enforcement agents who are harassing and confiscating their goods.
“We are still working to make sure that as informal economy workers, we have opportunity to work where we can enjoy sustainable livelihoods,” she said.
