VENDORS for Economic Development (ED) have urged its members in Harare to be orderly ahead of the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) Heads of State and Government Summit slated for August 17.
There have been reports of vendors being moved from the central business district ahead of the summit.
Vendors 4ED national chairperson Samora Chisvo yesterday said vending could not be eliminated and urged vendors to continue to behave in an orderly manner.
Chisvo said they were working well with government but accused Harare City Council (HCC) of not embracing them.
“We are working well with government through the Small and Medium Enterprises ministry but HCC has remained our major challenge as we are being chased away from the streets,” Chisvo said.
“As the current hosts of the Sadc summit and our President being the incoming chairperson, we will be expecting the vending community to behave in a good manner because as vendors we come from different backgrounds but there is no way the vending community can be eliminated because we are part of the value chain.”
Vendors in Harare have been accused of selling from undesignated places in the capital a development that has led to clashes with municipal police.
Harare mayor Jacob Mafume yesterday said they were not against the vending community and urged them to abide by by-laws.
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“We are not against the vending community but our concern is that they should respect the by-laws. This is our major concern and we have been engaging vendors several times on what we expect from them,” he said.
Vendors4ED is a shadowy grouping with close links to Zanu PF that campaigned for President Emmerson Mnangagwa in the August 2023 elections.
