Hands off vendors, Mayor tells politicians

via Hands off vendors, Mayor tells politicians – NewZimbabwe 05/07/2015

HARARE Mayor Bernard Manyenyeni has confirmed that Zanu PF has hijacked the registration of vendors in the city after the National Vendors Union Zimbabwe (NAVUZ) recently complained that their members were being barred from registering as traders.

“Only 120 of our members have been registered in Harare out of the 65 000 who are in our data base,” Samuel Wadzai NAVUZ national director told residents’ stakeholders meeting last week.

“The rest are being blocked by known Zanu PF activists who are masquerading as vendors,” Wadzai said.

“We want to set the record straight to government that we are not opposing them .We are not fighting against them but fighting for the survival  of our families who are starving, owing to unemployment rocking the nation.”

In an interview, Manyenyeni told NewZimbabwe.com that he was aware of some “politicians” who were registering vendors.

“That news has reached my office and I want to warn vendors that only the Harare City Council has the sole mandate and responsibility of registering vendors.

I mean vendors should come to Harare City Council and register and nowhere else,” said Manyenyeni.

The registration of vendors was necessitated by the expired June 26 dead line which government gave to vendors to vacate illegal spaces from which they are selling their wares in the Central Business District.

After the announcement of the June 26 dead line, vendors staged a massive demonstration where they handed over a petition to Parliament seeking a reversal of the government order.