Zimpapers Logo

Gweru Mayor Cllr Charles Chikozho

Freedom Mupanedemo Midlands Bureau
Gweru City Council yesterday intensified its crackdown on street vendors, confiscating several push-carts and advertising boards on pavements. The local authority has also given street newspaper vendors up to this Friday to obtain hawkers’ licences or risk having their wares, including newspapers and billboards, confiscated. There was heavy municipal police presence on the streets yesterday, resulting in intermittent running battles with vendors. Some council officials moved around the Central Business District with a loud speaker in an open truck advising newspaper vendors to obtain licences.

“Newspaper vendors are advised to obtain hawkers’ licences between now and Friday,” the officials warned. We will be confiscating your wares if you fail to comply.” Meanwhile, The Herald Gweru office was yesterday inundated with calls from newspaper vendors who wanted to inquire how they could obtain the licences

“The council is saying we should pay $50 for hawker’s licences and this will be a first,” said a vendor popularly known as Mbuya Mkanga.
“I have been a newspaper vendor for years and have not heard about this.” Another vendor, Mr Brian Shava, said it was not feasible to have a licence to sell newspapers on the streets.

“We get between five and 10 percent for selling a newspaper and to pay that much for a licence is not feasible,” he said. Gweru Mayor Councillor Charles Chikozho said the council would look into issue and see how best to assist the newspaper vendors.

“I will look into the matter and see how we can assist. The challenge we are having is that some vendors want to masquerade as newspaper vendors. We are trying to clean up the city and residents are generally happy with what we have been doing in a bid to restore order in our city,” he said. President Mugabe last month directed local authorities to get rid of illegal vendors by allocating them vending stalls in designated areas.