BUSINESS REPORTER
Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has shelved plans for a crackdown on illegal activities in the city fearing it would create skirmishes, Business Times can report.
The local authority recently announced plans for a blitz mainly targeting vendors to rid the city of illegal activities.
BCC said Bulawayo streets and pavements were a complete mess as illegal vendors leave rotting produce on the streets for the council to clean up.
Other illegal activities such illegal pick up points by private vehicles, washing of cars, repairing of vehicles, among many others, have resulted in serious congestion in the city.
“There was a general sentiment that while we plan to bring sanity to the city, we might end up having skirmishes. Our counterparts, the police, felt it was wise to wait,” BCC chamber secretary Sikhangele Zhou said.
Apart from vending on undesignated sites on the streets, pavements and roadways, other illegal activities targeted were washing of cars, repairing of vehicles, illegal pick up points by private cars and buses, delivery of farm produce and other products onto the streets, push carts and heavy commercial vehicles into the city centre, among many others.
All these have resulted in serious congestion, chaos, littering as well as an increase in pickpocketing.
