Zimbabwe government bans street vendors.
- Chipo Basira
- 14 Mar, 2025
Zimbabwe government bans street vendors.
The Zimbabwean government has banned street vendors, citing concerns over order, security, and health safety in cities in a directive issued on Wednesday, Honourable Garwe stated that illegal vendors are causing damage across the country.
However, many vendors rely on street vending as their primary source of income.
"We make money and take care of our families from selling," said Mercy Pachiti, a vendor in the CBD. "The operation makes us failures as mothers."
Noel Chidza, another vendor, highlighted the government's contradictory policies. "Even if we want to sell at night, we can't, as the government bans selling at night and gave us a 48-hour ultimatum to vacate unauthorized areas."
The ban has already led to police raids, with many vendors losing goods and profits. "Removing vendors from streets helps to make the city clean, but the government should consider that it's a source of income to some," said Mbuya Mataga, a Harare resident.
Political analyst Leonard Koni argued that vending has become a primary source of work in Zimbabwe. "The issue of vendors filling streets will be resolved if the government begins to provide jobs," Koni said. "The government is the one that put vendors on streets as they were given places to conduct business during elections, and now they want to forcefully remove them."
The government's directive has been met with resistance from vendors, who argue that it will exacerbate economic hardships.
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