Chengetai Zvauya
HARARE – Government has promised to set up a Commission of Inquiry into the operations of urban councils to determine what happened to the goods and wares confiscated from vendors by municipal police in the period 2013 to 2018.
Addressing vendors at the Harare City Sports Centre today, Environment and Water Resources minister Oppah Muchinguri, who was standing in for President Emmerson Mnangagwa, said government would establish the Commission of Inquiry soon after the elections.
The event was attended by ICT and Cyber Security minister Supa Mandiwanzira and chief executives of NetOne, POSB and TelOne. The three organisations are in partnership with vendors.
“Government understands the problems the vendors have been facing from the local urban councillors who have been harassing them, taking away their goods and not returning them back and this was mainly done by the municipal police which was being supported by councillors who never raised the matter in their council meetings,” Muchinguri said.
Muchinguri said government was working on building good working markets and stalls for the vendors which have ablution facilities s and clean water. She said work had started in Bubi with markets servicing the small-scale mining community.
She also said government would set up a one-stop shop where all the vendors would be able to pay for their motoring and other licences under one roof. The centres will also have internet facilities enabling them to do their business online.
TelOne chief executive officer Chipo Mtasa said her company provided 500 shops for vendors to access their products and have signed a franchise programme with the shops which has provided over $ 1,5 million so far.
TelOne’s franchise shops are at Magamba, Copa Cabana and Mupedzanhamo markets.
NetOne chief executive officer Lazarus Muchenje promised to provide internet access and phones lines following the signing of a $ 71 million grant from China to increase base stations and make more investments into the informal sector.
POSB will offer cheap loans and facilitate the opening of new bank accounts for vendors.
Stan Zvorwadza, National Vendors Union of Zimbabwe chairman encouraged his constituency to support the new dispensation which was helping the vendors to carry out their duties smoothly.
