New workspaces for informal traders
By Sukuoluhle Ndlovu
Harare City Council is currently identifying alternative workspaces for those in the informal sector.
This follows the demolition of illegal structures in the capital city.
The objective has been to ensure a clean, orderly and well-managed city that ensures optimum revenue collection by local authorities.
First preference will be given to traders who have been affected by the current exercise.
Cabinet resolved that Local Authorities should take advantage of the national lockdown to clean up and renovate Small and Medium Enterprise and informal traders workspaces so that these areas will be more conducive to operate in.
In a joint statement by the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and devolution Harare Metropolitan Province Honourable Oliver Chidawu and the City of Harare Mayor, Herbert Gomba said the government is not insensitive to the plight of informal traders.
“The exercise has indeed affected the livelihoods of residents in Harare. However, Government and local authorities are not insensitive to the plight of informal traders and fully realise the need to maintain their sources of income.”
New workspaces are being identified.
“To this end, the City of Harare and other local authorities are already in progress of identifying and preparing alternative workspaces for occupation by the expiry of the extended lockdown announced by the President Emmerson Mnangagwa on 19 April 2020.”
There shall be a special Allocation Committee.
“In order to allay fears of displacement, safeguard livelihoods and avoid partisanship in the allocation of stalls, we have today agreed that there shall be a special Allocation Committee to oversee the allocation of officially designated vending stalls and spaces to affected informal traders.
“The Committee shall be chaired by the Director of Housing and Community Services and shall include members of the Provincial Joint Operations Command (JOC) and a member of my Ministry in addition to other members the Committee see fit.”
Illegal structures that were demolished are in and around Harare’s Central Business District, Mbare, Highfield and other areas in the Harare Metropolitan Province.
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