ED's Lockdown Extension Favoured The Rich And Privileged & Ignored The Informal Traders - MDC

The country’s leading opposition party the MDC has reportedly blasted the government for ignoring the plight of informal traders and not announcing relief measures for informal traders when President Mnangagwa announced the lockdown extension, last week, New Zimbabwe reports.

This was after the president allowed the industry to operate but said informal trading remained closed a move that did not go down well with the MDC whose secretary for projects, livelihoods and entrepreneurship, Sesel Zvidzai said:

The announcement of a further 14 days extension under the new restrictions seems to have favoured the rich and privileged only at the expense of the long suffering poor marginalised masses such as those in the informal sector

…Hence the people’s party (MDC) expected some serious considerations to be given to the informal sector but is shocked to see that this most important sector has once again been overlooked and unkindly treated

The lockdown extension will without doubt exacerbate the plight of the majority of poor urbanites whose livelihoods are hinged on vending and other informal activities.What makes it even worse is that the relevant authorities have made pronouncements on rentals and shut a source of livelihood for pensioners and many others whose only source of income is rentals income.

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We refuse to be part of a fight against the poor and marginalised communities. Social safety nets should be upscaled so as to help in catering for the people whose livelihoods have been destroyed by a combination of Covid-19 and bad socio-economic policies

The lockdown extension announced by the president will provisionally end on 17 May.

More: New Zimbabwe