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council seeking support for the regularisation of street vending.
ZIVA chairman Mr Arthur Muromba said the organisation’s registered members have capacity to generate up to US$600 000 for council if properly allocated designated vending points.
Local Government, Rural and Urban Development Minister Ignatius Chombo recently said there was no law banning vending at designated spots in the CBD.
He said vending was an integral part of any local authority.
The vendors decided to organise themselves to fight harassment and victimisation.
Vendors have in the past lost goods without restitution.
The city has also argued that vending especially in the CBD was outlawed after Operation Murambatsvina — a claim Minister Chombo has dismissed.
Mr Muromba said city streets will be divided into zones with zone managers “strategically located to necessitate easy supervision of vendors’ activities” cleaning exercises and identification of law breakers.
He said each of the registered vendors will be asked to dedicate time to clean the streets.
He proposed that each vendor should pay US$5 per month.
Other vendors at designated points pay US$18 per month but the majority fails to raise the amount. The vendors, he said will bring convenience to the commuting public.
Mr Muromba was worried that vendors were blamed for the typhoid outbreak when the same system did not put in place proper infrastructure for them.
He said organising the vendors will help decongest Harare’s busy streets and also promote self sustenance.
“We view our licenses and joint amenities establishment as a noble idea that is meant to decongest the streets and on the other hand ensuring that council benefits from vendors directly instead of benefiting from fines that they pay after being arrested,” he said.