Stephen Chadenga
The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions has urged local authorities to desist from harassing vendors saying their continued abuse in the streets is a violation of their rights as informal workers.
In an interview with The Blast, ZCTU vice president Valentine Chikosi said councils should instead urgently partner government and other stakeholders to expedite the formalisation of informal traders.
“We are against the idea of the continued running battles between councils and informal traders where we see municipal police abusing vendors, at times beating them and grabbing their wares,”Chikosi said.
“This continued harassment is a violation of vendors rights as informal workers.
“So instead of these cat and mouse games councils should actively assist in the formalisation of the informal sector by providing proper vending and trading spaces with all the necessary facilities. In any case if councils put up proper infrastructure where they can make vendors accountable they would benefit from such order and this can only be achieved through formalisation.”
Chikosi said most people were pushed in the streets as there were no adequate formal jobs due to company closures.
“So councils should join hands and push government and other social partners to ensure that formalisation strategies are accelerated,”he said.
“Councils cannot be players in the continued violation, harassment and abuse of vendors rights. So as a labour body we are challenging all local authorities to work with government and other stakeholders to provide proper infrastructure and facilities so that vendors are properly moved from street pavements.”
Over the years organisations representing vendors have called on the formalisation of informal traders but the suggestion is still to be achieved.
Government has on several occasions acknowledged the need to formalise the informal sector but has not come up with clear policies and strategies to attain this.
In a recent statement, Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation, castigated Harare city council for its operation on vendors.
Read the statement:
“The statement regarding the City of Harare’s “zero vending” initiative is concerning for the community of informal economy workers represented by the Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation (VISET).
The proposed operation to eradicate illegal vending demonstrates a lack of understanding and support for the livelihoods of countless individuals who rely on these informal activities for their daily sustenance.
“Informal economy workers play a crucial role in the urban economy, often filling gaps left by the formal sector and providing valuable services and goods to their communities. Rather than taking punitive measures that could displace vendors and hinder their ability to provide for their families, it is essential for the authorities to engage with these workers, understand their challenges, and consider supportive strategies that can help integrate them into the formal economy.
“VISET advocates for policies that recognize the contributions of informal workers and seek to create an enabling environment for their operations, rather than implementing initiatives that threaten their existence. Dismissing the concerns of informal vendors undermines their rights and the significant role they play in the local economy. It is vital for the government to revisit this approach and consider collaborative solutions that uplift, rather than dismantle, the livelihoods of informal economy workers.”
Government is actively working to formalize the informal sector, including street vendors, with the goal of improving tax compliance and creating a more conducive business environment. This initiative includes mandatory requirements for vendors to use Point of Sale (POS) machines and open bank accounts upon registration. The government also aims to provide structured regulation for vendors, including the construction of modern stalls with necessary infrastructure, as noted by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.