The government on Wednesday last week gave illegal vendors a 48-hour ultimatum to vacate the streets saying they were operating in unsanitary conditions and engaging in criminal activities.
The decree, Local Government minister Daniel Garwe said, would see councils being supported by law enforcement agents in a blitz meant to bring back the glow to cities and towns.
There has been a litany of complaints against illegal vendors.
They stand accused of taking over pavements in the central business district and selling their wares in front of licensed operators.
Some vendors have also been flagged for selling underweight, substandard or expired products.
There is no doubt that such practices harm innocent consumers who buy in the belief that they are genuine products. Such malcontents soil a trade that is putting food on the table for many families.
Others are selling genuine products after getting them from suppliers hence the good and bad cannot be lumped together.
However, illegal vendors have thrived for a reason. First, most supermarkets have run out of basic commodities. Second, the vendors provide convenience as they can be open way into midnight.
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The vendors have a reliable supply as their products are either imported or supplied by local manufacturers.
Smuggled products pass through our country’s ports of entry. The smuggling is usually done by runners who enjoy the protection of godfathers and godmothers.
There has been an outcry from vendors that they will defy the ultimatum with Vendors4ED saying it will sue the Local Government ministry.
The directive is unenforceable.
The government cannot address the vendor menace without tackling the root cause which is a faltering economy despite claims that it is on a growth trajectory.
Economic headwinds have piled pressure on companies that are struggling to stay afloat. Some have been forced to off-load employees who resort to vending to make ends meet.
Some companies pay low salaries and employees augment their salaries through informal trading.
Vending is the lifeblood of families and the economy at large.
There are reports of violence against council personnel enforcing the ban on illegal vendors.
We do not condone violence as an eye for an eye leaves the world blind. However, the skirmishes tell a story of a fight for survival. It tells the story of a constituency clinging to its last hope for survival. Vending has become their last chance saloon.
Authorities need to provide vendors suitable places with all the required facilities such as clean running water and toilets.
The vendors pay fees to space barons, most of them linked to the ruling Zanu PF party. Space barons need to be annihilated if the government is serious about instilling order in cities and towns.
However, the elephant in the room is the economy. The message to the government is clear: Fix the economy and you will not see the mushrooming of night vendors on the streets.
