Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe has ordered vendors operating in Bulawayo’s central business district to stop forthwith paying space barons who demand money for access to vending bays, warning that government will be “ruthless” in dealing with those operating outside the law.
Garwe said space barons had no legal authority to allocate vending spaces or collect fees from traders, accusing them of exploiting vendors and contributing to the growing chaos in the city centre.
Addressing stakeholders at the Small City Hall on Thursday, Garwe said the government would no longer tolerate the informal allocation of public spaces, particularly in the CBD, where the proliferation of informal trading has increasingly become a source of concern.
“If there is anyone who is paying money to this space baron, stop today,” Garwe said.
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“They are not authorities. They are not a legal authority. Don’t legalise criminality.”
He said vendors being forced to pay space barons could contact him directly and offered his personal cell phone number, 0776 112 006, saying he would intervene.
“You are going to be fleeced of your hard-earned money at a demand by a space baron,” he said, noting the government had received complaints about space barons and land barons and would act on concerns raised by members of the public.
“We have taken heed of this city’s cries, and we are now addressing the chaos once and for all.”
The minister warned vendors against listening to individuals who instructed them to disregard government directives and continue making payments for vending spaces.
“When this space baron says, ‘Don’t listen to the government, pay him,’ say, ‘No, I will listen to the government.’ Be bold enough to refuse to get somebody to steal your money,” Garwe said.
He said there was “no room” for space barons, drawing parallels with land barons who have been accused of taking money from people in the diaspora for residential stands and failing to deliver the promised properties.
“We cannot continue to fold our hands and leave the whole city at the mercy of space barons,” Garwe said.
He singled out Fifth Avenue, which he said had become an eyesore and was contributing to the deterioration of Bulawayo’s CBD.
“The case in point is Fifth Avenue. It’s now becoming famous. It’s an eyesore, it’s shocking the CBD and shaming the City of Kings,” he said.
While calling for an end to illegal occupation of public spaces, Garwe stressed the clean-up campaign should not become an excuse for municipal police to harass vendors or confiscate their goods.
Addressing Bulawayo Mayor David Coltart, Garwe said municipal police should focus on enforcing cleanliness and making sure traders operated from designated areas rather than victimising vendors.
“Your Worship, as we clean the streets or the city, please direct municipal police not to harass or take people’s wares. That is not the intention,” he said.
“They must never touch anyone’s wares. They must just remove dirt and adversely cooperate from designated places. That’s what we are advocating for.”
Garwe said vendors needed clear information about where they could trade, the standards they were expected to meet and the permits required.
“Citizens must know where trading is permitted, what standards apply, what permits are required, and what activities are prohibited. There must be no uncertainty about what is expected,” he said.
He called for properly planned trading spaces where vendors could operate safely and with dignity, supported by basic services including water, sanitation, lighting, waste management and shelter.
Garwe said the government and local authorities should also explore modern market facilities that could provide traders with opportunities to grow their businesses.
He pointed to existing facilities in Bulawayo which he said were not being fully utilised.
“For instance, you have the Nkulumane vegetable market. Why not utilise it to accommodate vendors? What about Egodini Mall? A space lying idle yet it could be fully utilised to decongest the central business district,” he said.
He questioned why modern market facilities were sometimes abandoned after construction.
“We build these beautiful structures and immediately they become white elephants,” he said.
Garwe cited a market built recently in Mbare as an example, saying vendors had abandoned the facility and returned to roadside trading.
“Why? Because the vendors have decided to move out of that market and go back to the roadside and start selling. And why is it like that? Because they don’t want to pay any rates,” he said.
He urged vendors to contribute towards the costs of maintaining the infrastructure and services they use.
“We must be responsible residents. We must be able to pay rates to the local authority,” he said.
Vendors ‘are our brothers and sisters’
Garwe said the government was not declaring war on vendors, whom he described as an important part of local economies and livelihoods.
“This is not a declaration of war against our brothers and sisters who trade as vendors. It is not a declaration for victimisation. It is not a threat at all. It is not an ultimatum at all,” he said.
“Our vendors are our brothers and sisters. Our enemy is littering. So let’s not promote our enemy to fighters.”
He said poorly managed vending could contribute to littering, clogged drains and unhygienic public spaces.
“Vendors must contribute significantly to local economies and livelihoods, but their activities, when poorly managed, can lead to littering, which we are experiencing now, clogged drains and unhygienic public spaces,” Garwe said.
The minister also said the government and the council should strengthen coordination with vendors and market associations, which he said had a responsibility to make sure their members complied with council regulations and by-laws.
He said the associations should also complement the council by establishing adequate waste receptacles and designated waste collection programmes.
“Furthermore, associations will be the ones leading campaigns for the promotion of a culture of hygiene and responsibility amongst their members,” he said.
“Clean cities are a collective achievement of all, and the markets and vending sites must be models of orderliness, not sources of pollution.”
Garwe urged stakeholders to embrace what he called the “clear, clean, keep clear” concept.
“Clear, clean, keep clear. It’s simple,” he said.
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