Informal traders have been warned against hoarding vending stalls to ensure equitable access for all.
This comes as the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) pushes for informal traders to move into designated vending spaces following the reopening of Egodini Bus Terminus.
Speaking at a roundtable organised by Amakhosikazi Media on Friday, Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Association (BVTA) Assistant Programs Officer for Membership and Gender, Debra Mukasa, urged informal traders to avoid corruption by refraining from occupying multiple vending bays.
“I am pleading with informal traders to stop being greedy,” Mukasa said. “There have been cases where one vendor would acquire a bay, then recruit others to register, essentially controlling multiple bays and collecting revenue from them. They offer money to register under different names, but ultimately control the stalls. This behaviour is corrupt.”
“I implore you all to be transparent and honest,” she continued. “The fight against corruption starts with us. If we are not honest with ourselves, we will not achieve a functional vending system. We have recently encountered instances of vendors registering with multiple informal traders associations to acquire more than one space. To address this, we consolidated all our associations into one database, which helped identify the culprits.”
Mukasa added that the city council now employs an electronic system that detects individuals attempting to register multiple times, further curbing this practice.
An informal trader, identifying herself as Chipo, noted that the new system effectively eliminates opportunities for abuse.
“I recently approached the city council for a vending bay. Their first question was whether I already had one,” she said. “I honestly disclosed my registration at Highlanders, and my details were readily available in the system. It is clear that having multiple bays is no longer possible.”
“However, as Mukasa mentioned, some try to manipulate the system by registering others under different names, disadvantaging others. If we work together, we can move forward.”
