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Yeukai Karengezeka and Charmaine Brown
Last year, Harare City Council decided to move vendors who had congested the streets and roads in the central business district (CBD) to the periphery.

This was achieved in August after running battles between the municipal police, aided by the Zimbabwe Republic Police (RBZ) and the vendors.

The vendors were relocated to different parts of the city on the promise that council would provide decent places for them to operate from with proper sheds, running water, toilets and parking space.

But more than a year on, vendors are increasingly becoming disillusioned as council is reneging on some of the promises it made, yet it continues to collect money from them.

The Herald caught up with vendors who were relocated to the corner of Dieppe and Seke roads in the Graniteside industrial area popularly known as the Coke Cola corner.

The vendors said nothing much has been done by council since their arrival at the place.
Of particular concern to the vendors is the absence of toilets and infrastructure to operate from.
Most of vendors operating at the area have put up makeshift selling points using tents and plastics.

One of the vendors, Patience Chabvagare, said: “Apart from levelling the area, which was done ahead of our relocation, nothing much has changed. Council has done virtually nothing for us, yet officials come here every day to collect $3 per table.

“I think you can see how bad this place looks. What are they using that money for? Business is very low because this place is not attractive enough to customers.”

The vendors’ chairman Mr Phanuel Savanhu said their major concern was that of toilets.
“The toilet that was built by council is closed at 12pm every day and we have to use the old toilet which is in a bad shape or look for alternative places to relieve ourselves,” he said.

“The hills and bushes around us are now full of human waste.
“We are now fearing for our health since the rains are setting in and there is no proper drainage system in this place and we also do not have proper shelter. The tap that we used to draw water from is the same that supplies the toilet. We had to pool our resources to ensure we have a separate water source.”

Mr Savanhu alleged harassment by municipal police.
“Council officials come here every day to collect their fees and if one fails to pay they call the municipal police to take the person’s wares, which they are supposed to return after payment has been made,” he said.

“Some of the goods are not returned and the officials convert them to their own use, which is daylight robbery.”
Mr Savanhu said council recently proposed to increase rentals to $10, which they seriously resisted.

He urged council to fulfil its promise to construct proper markets with urinals, drainage systems, a police base, perimeter wall, bins and a canteen.

Most of the tents and plastics at the market are in a deplorable state and there is no proper planning in terms of the set-up, raising concern of the image being portrayed to visitors who pass through the place on their way from Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport.

Town clerk Engineer Hosiah Chisango said plans to develop the area were being hampered by the lack of resources.
“We have not abandoned the vendors operating at the Coca Cola area,” he said.

“All this time we have been buying material and within the next three weeks or so we will start erecting vending stalls at the site and putting up some tents.”

Eng Chisango said they had plans to build a state-of-the-art shopping mall, bus terminuses and a filling station, among other structures, at the site.

“We intend to have some quality infrastructure and so far a Chinese company and local company have shown interest to venture into a joint venture with us,” he said.

“We are still assessing and negotiating with them and we will settle for the best company.”