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Samantha Chigogo Herald Reporter
Genuine vendors have relocated to designated vending sites and those resisting relocation have hidden political motives, vendors unions said yesterday.

The unions, however, appealed to Harare City Council to speed up the setting up of proper infrastructure and ablution facilities at the new vending sites.

Several groups of people with links to the MDC-T have mushroomed in the past few weeks purporting to represent vendors, and have been inciting the hawkers to resist a Government directive that they move to designated areas.

Harare Informal Traders Council (HITC) vice president Mr Arthur Muromba said some political parties were trying to manipulate vendors to score cheap political gains.

“Sincere vendors have since moved to legal areas such as Fourth Street in the CBD while bogus vendors have just disappeared as we believe they had hidden political agendas,” he said.

“For months some associations were on a mission to instil stubbornness and resistance in these vendors hence it now requires uptight Government legislation to take them out of the CBD.”

Mr Muromba added: “That said, the sites are bad, there are no ablution facilities and infrastructure is incomplete. The council should immediately act upon this set back and ensure that vending locations are properly maintained.” A few illegal vendors have continued operating on pavements along Robert Mugabe Street, First Street and Kwame Nkrumah.

Zimbabwe Home Industry and Markets Association (ZIMA) president Mr Onismo Gore said council had every reason to chuck out those operating illegally.

“Our vendors have moved and the council should descend on those resistant,” said Mr Gore.

Grassroots Empowerment Flea Markets and Vendors Trust chairman Mr Alexio Mudzengerere said: “We have since noticed that council has a tendency of selecting whom to chase out of the CBD and whom to keep. Some council officials are taking politics to the vendors and if that is not addressed some vendors will always remain operational in the city.”

Mr Promise Mkwananzi, an MDC-T activist who leads the Zimbabwe Informal Sectors’ Organisation said there was low business outside the CDB and his members would continue operating illegally.

“Vendors are more than 100 000 but the tables and space in designated areas can only cater for 6 000 people”

“Unless the council acts fast the cat and mouse relationship with vendors will continue as they have nowhere decent to go,” said Mkwananzi

City spokesman, Michael Chideme, said council was doing its best to ensure the environment was conducive for business at the new sites.

“No one should use the issue of infrastructure as an excuse and continue defying the law,” he said.

“We are doing everything we can and we are happy streets are clearing up daily as hawkers have moved to their old trading sites in Mbare, Mukambo and Lusaka trading areas in Machipisa.”