by Fungai Munetsi
Zimbabwe Chamber of Informal Economy Associations (ZCIEA) Chitungwiza Territorial President Thandekile Mkwananzi urged the Government and local authorities to introduce Hawkers’ licenses and give each informal trader a trading disc.
Speaking at the Press Briefing at Kaguvi building 8th floor on the 12th of August 2022 ZCIEA Chitungwiza President Thandekile Mkwananzi said the introduction of Hawkers’ licenses and giving each trader a trading disc will help to curb the issues of bribery in the sector. ZCIEA Harare President Claudius Mundawaro who also attended a Press briefing added that it is important to make trading disc affordable to promote compliance by informal workers and traders.
Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Honourable Sithembiso Nyoni was the main speaker at the Press briefing. ZCIEA acknowledge and appreciate the invitation by the Ministry of SMEs to be part of the Press briefing. This is a very good line of recognition for the work we do as an Organisation that represents Informal Economy workers and traders. Minister Nyoni shared the government’s plans towards improving the lives and working conditions of Informal workers traders / SMEs. She said the government is in the process of formalising the informal sector, and the National formalisation Strategy is at the validation stage. She further shared that the government will build decent workspaces for informal workers and traders.
Minister Sithembiso Nyoni gave Informal Economy Representatives a platform to share challenges they are facing and how best the government can help them. ZCIEA Chitungwiza President Thandekile Mkwananzi requested the government to build decent workspaces for vendors to avoid harassment from the ZRP and Municipal Police. She also said that vendors pay rates to the council expecting Council to provide better services at markets (water supply, refuse collection and ablution facilities) but those services are not provided as expected. They also requested the government and local authorities to allocate informal workers and traders’ spaces to trade freely without fear of harassment or arrest by authorities as this will help in ending corruption (bribery).
President Mundawaro spoke on the need for Local authorities to review the outdated by laws. He also highlighted the rise in the politicization of workspace allocation in the markets. ZCIEA representative also requested the provision of running water and conducive ablution toilets for PWDs by Harare and Chitungwiza local authorities.
Minister Sithembiso Nyoni said the Ministry will engage local authorities to introduce hawkers’ licenses and give informal workers trading discs to each trader to avoid curb corruption.
ZCIEA Chitungwiza President Thandekile Mkwananzi and Harare President Claudius Mundawaro were interviewed by The Herald, Sunday Mail, ZBC and Daily news. This Press Briefing was aired live on ZBC TV featuring responses from ZCIEA representatives.