LOCAL Government ministry has moved to clarify that the impending enforcement in Harare CBD is aimed at public health and safety, not at destroying the livelihoods of informal traders.
Addressing stakeholders, including Harare City Council, this Monday, Local Government minister Daniel Garwe said the government “recognises that vending provides livelihoods to thousands of Zimbabweans” and the “entrepreneurial spirit” of residents.
However, he argued that the right to earn a living “cannot be exercised in a manner that deprives others of their right to a safe, clean, healthy and functional city.”
Garwe singled out three key threats from current CBD conditions, which are: public health risks, disruption of social cohesion, and the creation of environments vulnerable to drug and substance abuse.
“Where sanitation is compromised, the conditions for the spread of waterborne diseases are created.”
“We cannot wait for another outbreak before recognising the direct connection between public order, sanitation and public health," Garwe said.
He challenged City Council to account for all trading infrastructure and to know “where every trader is supposed to operate.” Enforcement, he said, must be “consistent, lawful and sustained.”
To traders, the Minister’s message was direct: “You are not the enemy... But you must also recognise that the city belongs to all of us.”
To residents and the business community, Garwe said consumer behavior also drives disorder. “Do not buy from illegal trading points simply because they are convenient, while simultaneously complaining about congestion, litter and disorder.”
Government framed the choice as “not between traders and order” but “between disorder and a properly organised informal economy.”