MDC-T councillors rapped for siding with vendors
“Vendors have become pawns of certain opportunists because we now see vendors who have assumed a certain level of militancy that you are not too sure that they really would want the issue of vending resolved or there is something that we do not clearly understand,” says town planner Percy Toriro (pictured right)

“Vendors have become pawns of certain opportunists because we now see vendors who have assumed a certain level of militancy that you are not too sure that they really would want the issue of vending resolved or there is something that we do not clearly understand,” says town planner Percy Toriro (pictured right)

Innocent Ruwende Municipal Reporter
Zanu-PF councillors and town planners have condemned MDC-T councillors for using their dominance to promote anarchy and lawlessness in Harare through siding with illegal vendors who are resisting a directive to move out of the city’s pavements to designated places.

At least 15 sites have been designated for the illegal vendors outside the Central Business District and the Government has since indicated that it is now the duty of the City Council to restore order by relocating them.

The MDC-T councillors said they will not remove the illegal vendors from the streets, hoping to profit from the anarchy.

Zanu-PF councillor Cde Naboth Munyengera said the double standards being exhibited by the opposition councillors was shocking given that the MDC-T councillors want other by-laws to be religiously followed, yet they want council by-laws, which ban illegal vending, to be ignored.

“We want Harare to be clean and in that pursuit we identified places where vendors will be relocated and be provided with necessary infrastructure so that they can sell their goods without compromising the aesthetics of the city,” he said.

“Vending when done at the right place is not bad. We, as Zanu-PF councillors, are surprised by the stance taken by our colleagues. They have decided to use their dominance in council to promote chaos in the city, yet they are the ones who want other by-laws to be adhered to.

“It is not because they have vendors in mind, they want to use the vendor situation to gain political mileage.”

There are seven Zanu-PF councillors in the Harare City Council compared to the MDC-T’s 39.

Town planner Mr Percy Toriro said it was unfortunate that the councillors decided to take the unpopular path of supporting the illegal vendors.

“As Zimbabweans, let us aspire for progress, let us aspire for development and we should bury our political differences and support developmental projects which benefit us as a nation,” he said.

“We would like to encourage Zimbabweans to look at this in a sober manner, and balance between vending as a source of livelihood as well as the cleanliness of the city.

“In this situation, Government provided sites for vending. I do not see why the illegal vendors should not move to the sites.”

Sources at the council said Town Clerk Dr Tendai Mahachi was send on forced leave by the city’s mayor, Councillor Bernard Manyenyeni, on Tuesday because he was keen to implement the Government directive that illegal vendors be moved out.

Sixteen out of 17 organisations representing vendors have said they will comply with the Government directive to move out of the CBD.

The organisation resisting Government directive is led by MDC-T primary election losing candidate for 2013 harmonised elections in Mbare Mr Stan Zvorwadza.

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