By Staff Writer
The Zimbabwe National Organisation of Associations and Residents Trust (ZNOART) has given local authorities 72 hours to provide vendors with lawful, properly designated and viable markets ahead of the Government’s September 9 deadline for action against illegal vending.
ZNOART National Chairman Shepherd Shalvar Chikomba said the organisation supports the Government’s drive to restore order, cleanliness and safety in cities and towns, but warned that enforcement measures must be accompanied by practical alternatives for vendors.
“We support the Government’s position against illegal vending because residents deserve clean and orderly cities,” Chikomba said.
“However, enforcement must be accompanied by practical and viable alternatives for those who depend on informal trading for their livelihoods.”
ZNOART said vendors should not be allowed to occupy roads, pavements, street corners, bus ranks and other public spaces that are not legally designated for vending.
At the same time, Chikomba criticised the establishment of markets that are inaccessible to customers or lack basic infrastructure, describing them as “white-elephant markets”.
He said designated markets should be accessible to both vendors and customers, located in areas with genuine commercial activity and pedestrian traffic, and equipped with functional ablution facilities, reliable water supplies and regular refuse collection.
The markets should also be safe, properly maintained, affordable and connected to appropriate public transport routes, while local authorities should ensure that information about the designated trading areas is widely communicated, added Chikomba.
“A market without customers is not a viable market,” Chikomba said.
He said many vendors operating from undesignated areas were not necessarily seeking to break the law, but were often forced into such spaces because suitable alternatives were either unavailable, inaccessible, unaffordable or commercially unviable.
ZNOART has called on the Ministry responsible for Local Government to urgently coordinate local authorities and ensure that designated markets are ready before the September 9 deadline.
The organisation wants local authorities to identify lawful vending areas, provide basic infrastructure, engage vendors and residents over proposed locations, publicise the markets and establish affordable and transparent trading arrangements.
It also called for clear and humane transition arrangements for vendors currently operating from undesignated areas.
Chikomba said ZNOART’s 72-hour call was not intended to encourage confrontation, but rather to promote responsible governance, proper urban planning and citizen-centred service delivery.
He said the organisation supports the development of clean, modern, safe and economically vibrant Smart Cities, but stressed that urban order and economic empowerment should not be treated as competing objectives.
“Vendors must obey the law and trade in designated areas. Local authorities must provide lawful, accessible, properly serviced and economically viable spaces in which vendors can operate,” he said.
ZNOART also urged the Ministry of Local Government to monitor compliance by local authorities, ensure that designated markets are genuinely viable, prevent the creation of inaccessible markets and facilitate dialogue between residents, vendors and local authorities.
Chikomba said ZNOART was ready to work with Government, local authorities, vendors, residents and other stakeholders to find a sustainable and inclusive solution to illegal vending.
“We want order. We want clean cities. We want lawful vending. But we also want viable markets where customers can actually come to buy,” he said.
He reiterated ZNOART’s position with the slogan: “Orderly cities. Lawful vending. Viable markets. Dignity for every citizen.”
The illegal vending issue has continued to attract attention in Zimbabwe’s major cities and towns as Government and local authorities seek to restore order in urban areas.
Vendors have increasingly occupied pavements, road verges, street corners, bus ranks and other public spaces, raising concerns over congestion, pedestrian safety, waste management, public health and the orderly use of urban spaces.
The Government has announced September 9, 2026 as the deadline for action against illegal vending, putting pressure on local authorities to enforce existing regulations and remove vendors operating from undesignated areas.
However, enforcement measures have also raised concerns over the livelihoods of thousands of informal traders who rely on vending to support their families.
Previous attempts to relocate vendors to designated markets have sometimes faced resistance, particularly where traders have argued that the new locations are far from customers, poorly serviced or lack sufficient commercial activity.
It is against this background that ZNOART is calling for a balance between enforcement and the provision of practical alternatives, with the organisation insisting that vendors should have accessible, affordable and properly serviced markets in which they can operate lawfully.