THE recent swoop on illegal vendors in Bulawayo’s central business district (CBD) during the day has forced food vendors to ply their trade after hours amid fears of outbreaks of diarrhoea and other diseases.
The Bulawayo City Council has intensified patrols on the streets to weed out illegal traders, forcing the mobile kitchen operators to sell their food after working hours.
Bulawayo’s pavements have of late been overrun by vendors frying and selling Russian sausages and chips with most of them flooding 6th Avenue, Lobengula Street and the Bulawayo Centre area.
Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association secretary for administration Thembelani Dube told Southern Eye that such practices are driven by a declining economy, although he condemned the selling of food on the streets in the CBD.
“The economic challenges are driving the residents to resort to all forms of vending, including selling of prepared food. These mostly do not comply with health policies, hence exposing the would-be customers to a litany of health hazards,” Dube said.
“Without an improved economy, the haphazard vending of multiple products will be with us for a very long time and the exposure to airborne diseases will continue.”
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Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Association executive director Michael Ndiweni said food vendors were generally uninformed on good food hygiene practices.
He said: “Having such businesses everywhere poses a danger in terms of health because they will be selling things that have not been inspected even in terms of storage.
“The entire food handling mechanism may be compromised, so they need to acquire certificates and engage council to get space that is specifically designated for such businesses; then we will reduce the risk of outbreaks of diseases such as cholera.
“Also having gas stoves everywhere may cause serious fire accidents that may threaten the lives of business owners and other businesses around.”
He called on the vendors to work with residents associations and engage the council to negotiate for properly designated vending spaces.
“We encourage traders to at least comply with the by-laws so that they don’t lose their equipment should council raid and confiscate their goods if they don’t have proper papers — medical certificates and licences that go with such businesses,” he said.