Deputy Mayor talks tough on illegal vendors
Providence Moyo, Senior Reporter
The Deputy Mayor of Bulawayo has expressed concerns over the abuse of Five Avenue by illegal vendors who allegedly peddle drugs.
Speaking to Skyz Metro FM during the Asakhane show, the Bulawayo Deputy Mayor who is also the councillor for ward 1, Mlandu Ncube said the street is being used as a drug hub synonymous with ‘ntshenku’ starbrand, starcane and redbarret.
“That street has become a drug hub where you find all kinds of drugs being sold. Singakhangela ekhoneni ku Five Street lo Fifth Avenue abantu bachaya izidakamizwa indlela abafuna ngayo ngakho kumele basuswe laphana bayelapho okwathiwa bayekhona ngoba ama vending bays awashoti ayanela akhona amanye emalokishini angelabantu, he said.
Speaking during the same discussion, Bulawayo City Centre Achievers Association President who is also the Zanu-pf chairperson for Nehanda District Mr Mtangi alleged that the “city fathers are giving licenses based on party lines. “Remove your political jacket and serve the everyone,” he charged to Cllr Ncube who however, refuted the allegation arguing that council treats and serves people fairly.
Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Association (BVTA) director Micheal Ndiweni urged BCC to speed up the licensing procedure which according to the deputy mayor takes between 7 and 14 days. Ndiweni said the local authority is justified in decongesting the Central Business District (CBD) as it cannot carry more than 30 thousand informal traders.
According to Cllr Ncube, the most concerning issue about vendors who are in the streets is 95 percent of them are not from Bulawayo and therefore sleep on the road.
“If you go there at night, you will find them there belele phambili kwama buildings getting ready to wake up and sell in the morning,” he said.
Cllr Ncube said the illegal vendors are crippling cashflows of legal businesses in the city.
“Laba bantu babulala ama business abantu ababhadala ama license abo ku council. This is unfair ngoba those businesses are losing income abanye bakhona bathengisa exactly okuthengiswa kuma shops that they are surrounding illegally ngakho kumele basuswe and as the local authority we will continue with the operation of removing illegal vendors to protect businesses that are legal within the CBD,” vowed Cllr Ncube who said such behaviour of illegal vendors is the reason Edgars Stores Limited’s Herbert Chitepo and Leopold Takawira Avenue branch was shut down.
The giant retail clothing company closed the branch citing the need to secure an alternative location that suits its brand expectation amid pressure from illegal vendors.
The deputy mayor set the record straight on the shooting that happened two weeks ago during the local authority’s operation “No to illegal vendors ” along Five Street where three people were injured.
” Those people were taken to the hospital and a medical assessment was done so we await the medical report as it will determine the shooter because we as the local authority never sent anyone to go and shoot any vendor and the report will set people free as to who the culprit is,” he added.
