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ZRP Officer Commanding Harare Province Senior Assistant Commissioner Clement Munoriarwa addresses representatives of vendors, flea marketers and kombi operators at Town House yesterday while to his right are town clerk Dr Tendai Mahachi, council spokesperson Mr Leslie Gwindi and vendors association chairperson Mr Alexio Mudzengerere

Crime Reporter
Harare City Council has given commuter omnibus operators and vendors operating in the city a 30-day ultimatum to register their businesses or face a ban.
Addressing a joint press conference with the police in Harare yesterday, town clerk Dr Tendai Mahachi said council recognised the important role played by the informal sector but players must regularise their operations.
“Beginning today (yesterday) and for the next 30 days Harare City Council is registering all vendors and kombi operators doing business in the city. By the end of the 30 day period we hope to have a register of all vendors and kombi operators.

“If one is not registered they cannot do business in Harare. The traditional requirements to register a kombi remain the same,” he said.
He said the vendors would not pay registration fees.

Registration centres have been established at Trafalgar Court, Cleveland, Africa Unity Square (Publicity Office), Rowan Martin and suburban district offices. To register, the vendors must provide details like their names, identification particulars, area of trade, residential address and contact details.

Those who registered before are required to re-register.
“Each person would be allowed one vending spot in the CBD. There will be no multiple stallholders. We want to avoid issues of subletting, racketeering and profiteering,” Dr Mahachi said.

He said trading outside the demarcated zones would attract the full wrath of the law and repeat offenders would be de-registered.
Flea market operators pay US$3 daily for trading space while fruit, vegetable, airtime, dried food and newspaper vendors pay US$1.

No one is allowed to operate at traffic intersections, road islands, and street pavements and in the middle of the road while mobile telecommunication operators were encouraged to sell paperless airtime.

The vending sites are at Fourth Street, Charge Office, Julius Nyerere/Kenneth Kaunda, Market Square, Speke/Cameroon, George Silundika, Park Street, OK Cameroon and Chinhoyi/Samora Machel.

On the Coventry Road Kombi holding bay, Dr Mahachi said it was operating smoothly.
He said there were plans to construct additional holding bays to cater for kombis using the Charge Office and Fourth Street bus ranks. He urged kombi operators to stick to designated pick up and dropping points.

“We have been lenient with those breaking the law. Buoyed by public support in favour of our stance on illegal kombi operations, council together with the ZRP are going to take decisive measures that will ensure repeat offenders are put off the road,” he said.

He said the designated points were Copacabana (western and southern suburbs), Charge Office (Chitungwiza and southern suburbs), Fourth Street (Ruwa, Marondera, eastern and north eastern suburbs), Market Square (western and southern suburbs) and Rezende North for Mt Pleasant and University of Zimbabwe. Dr Mahachi said any other bus rank not mentioned was illegal.

The officer Commanding Harare province Senior Assistant Commissioner Clement Munoriarwa said they would continue conducting joint operations with other stakeholders to ensure that sanity prevailed in the city.

“There had been running battles between kombis, police and city council and that is when we said we have a situation that needs correction. We then decided to join hands with the operators and came out with solutions in order to bring sanity to the city since running battles were not necessary,” he said.

He warned those that continue to operate outside the law that they will be arrested without fear or favour. Snr Asst Comm Munoriarwa said they would also not tolerate any form of corruption.

Vendors and commuter omnibus operators have pledged to co-operate with the Harare City Council and law enforcement agencies in their efforts to bring sanity in the Central Business District.