Informal traders (vendors) operating from the streets of Harare have vowed to stay put until the government creates employment opportunities for them.
Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation (VISET) executive director, Samuel Wadzai, said that forcing vendors off the streets without offering sustainable solutions would not end the problem. He said:
Our country has become so informal due to the current economic hardships and as a result, many people are relying on street vending to feed their families.
… street vendors are not criminals but ordinary people seeking livelihoods and must be allowed to fend for their families, especially when the government has failed to provide jobs in the economy.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), working in collaboration with Harare municipal police, has intensified raids on illegal street vendors.
The vendors are accused of obstructing the smooth flow of traffic and littering the streets in the Central Business District (CBD).