Registered Vendors operating near Basch Street Terminus say the absence of ablution facilities has resulted in illegal vendors who usually operate during the night practicing open defecation which exposes them to communicable diseases.
The informal traders urged the local authority to deploy municipal police to curb the practice.
The situation was compounded after the site contractor, South African civil engineering firm, Terracotta, last month demolished public toilets and water points which were still being used by the informal traders to pave for the construction of the much awaited Egodini Mall.
The first phase for the multi-million dollar project is expected to be completed by November this year.
Vendors now rely on nearby toilets which are mostly closed at night.
Speaking to CITE vendors said they had to clean human waste every morning, which they can no longer cope with.
“Every morning we have to clean human waste. The illegal vendors who sell their goods at night mess up their stalls because all the toilets around would be closed,” said one vendor, Byoz Makalima.
He urged council to deploy municipal police who will monitor the place.
“Council police should work at night to remove these people. They are a burden”.
Contacted for comment, Ward 1 Councillor Mlandu Ncube said council does not have enough resources to deploy police at night but if there is a dire need, they would start night raids to alleviate this problem.
“It is true that we have a problem with vendors trading at night they are messing up.
“It’s a good idea to deploy municipal police at night but the crisis is that as council, we do not have enough man power and resources for them to work at night. When you work at night you need some dangerous weapons.
“If worse comes to worse we will start raiding at night,” said Ncube.
Some of the illegal vendors are said to be from other cities who sell their wares during the night to avoid paying rates to the local authority.
