bulawayovendors

BCC dithers on vendors: Adopts a relocation first, enforcement later approach to directive THE Bulawayo City Council has adopted a less aggressive approach to the vending saga allowing the 48-hour Government ultimatum to lapse incident-free with Deputy Mayor Edwin Ndlovu stating yesterday that they will prioritise the relocation of vendors first before implementing enforcement measures. He said the process to relocate the vendors from the different vending sites that they have allocated themselves to designated vending bays strewn in the city was already in motion before the ultimatum was issued by the Government to remove illegal vendors from the thoroughfares of towns and cities. “The BCC is in the final stages of relocating vendors from 5th Avenue and other areas in town to designated alternative spaces. This process will ensure a smoother transition to compliant trading practices. “We had already set in motion the process of relocating vendors to designated areas such as Bakta’s and Egodini when the Government issued the ultimatum. All registered vendors will be moved to the council-constructed available bays and this relocation process is nearing completion,” said Clr Ndlovu. Regarding enforcement, he noted that council was going to collaborate with the Zimbabwe Republic Police to ensure measures were effectively put into place once the relocation had been finalised. “Our enforcement efforts will be around the clock, but we will rely on the police since our municipal officers lack the authority to make arrests,” he said. Figures released to Sunday News by council officials indicate glaring compliance gaps with a good number of vendors not licensed. BCC has a total of 3 416 vending bays in the Central Business District, of which 3 279 are occupied and only 244 of those have the necessary licences to operate legally. The highest concentration of unlicensed vendors can be found at various sites throughout the city, with significant discrepancies in site allocations and licences. The figures availed by the local authority indicate that the city has 16 vending sites in the CBD, with the site which is between Lobengula Street and Herbert Chitepo and 6th Avenue up to 8th Avenue, having the highest number of bays (814) that are occupied where just 12 are licensed. The Highlanders site has 749 bays, with 720 have been allocated and 184 bays being licensed. At Baktas (2nd Avenue and Lobengula Street), all 175 bays, despite being all allocated, none of them are licensed with the local authority, same goes with the site located at the corner of 6th Avenue and Lobengula Street where out of the 337 bays available and allocated, none of them are legally licensed to operate by the local authority. At Hyper, all the 30 vendors allocated are also not legally licensed to operate. At 6th Avenue Extension, only three vendors out of the 118 that were allocated are licensed to operate at the site while at the site along Lobengula Street between 5th and 6th Avenue only three out of the 121 allocated bays are licensed to operate. The Flower Trading Site, which is located adjacent to the Large City Hall, of the 37 allocated bays, just eight are licensed to operate, while the Fruits and Vegetables site located at the corner of Robert Mugabe Way and 8th Avenue of the 96 bays available, 52 have been allocated and of those, just one bay is licensed to operate. While the BCC is taking steps towards regulation, the Bulawayo Traders and Vendors Association (BVTA) has called for dialogue between the Government and vendors. BVTA Executive Director Michael Ndiweni emphasised the need for engagement to find mutually beneficial solutions for managing the informal sector within the city. “We support the Government’s initiative but stress the importance of dialogue. Engaging with various stakeholders in the informal sector will enable us to address issues like littering and compliance with the law, rather than resorting to zero-tolerance policies,” said Mr Ndiweni. He noted that night vending can be a viable economic opportunity if managed well within the legal framework, further boosting community income while adhering to city by-laws. “We believe that working together to educate vendors about regulations and fostering active economies, even at night, could lead to more revenue for everyone involved,” he stated. Meanwhile, Bulawayo United Residents Association (Bura) chairperson Winos Dube commended the Government’s actions, stating that the initiative was long overdue. He highlighted the urgent need to restore cleanliness and order in the city, which has suffered from chaotic vending practices. “We hope this ultimatum will not remain an empty threat but will be implemented to ensure a more organised and clean city,” said Mr Dube. As the Bulawayo City Council continues to navigate these challenges, the focus remains on finding balanced solutions that address the needs of vendors while ensuring the welfare of the broader community. The Government, through the Minister of Local Government and Public Works Daniel Garwe, issued a 48-hour ultimatum last Wednesday to address the growing incidence of night vending. The argument has been that the surge in unregulated informal trading in the CBD has resulted in increased pedestrian traffic, widespread littering and disturbances to established businesses within the CBD making the cities unattractive to investors. https://www.heraldonline.co.zw/bcc-dithers-on-vendors-adopts-a-relocation-first-enforcement-later-approach-to-directive/

THE recent decision by the Bulawayo City Coun­cil (BCC) to relo­cate vendors from 5th Avenue, in response to a Gov­ern­ment ulti­matum, high­lights the com­plex dynam­ics of urban vend­ing in Zim­b­abwe. As the local author­ity pre­pares to enforce meas­ures against night vend­ing and man­age the exist­ing chal­lenges faced by vendors, it is cru­cial to con­sider both the eco­nomic vital­ity these vendors bring to the city and the need for order and reg­u­la­tion within the bust­ling urban land­scape. The Gov­ern­ment’s dir­ect­ive, issued by Local Gov­ern­ment and Pub­lic Works Min­is­ter Daniel Garwe, stems from increas­ing con­cerns over the chaos asso­ci­ated with night vend­ing. The surge in informal vend­ing activ­it­ies has not only led to increased ped­es­trian traffic and lit­ter­ing but has also dis­rup­ted estab­lished busi­nesses in the Cent­ral Busi­ness Dis­trict (CBD). The BCC’s efforts to coordin­ate with the Zim­b­abwe Repub­lic Police for enforce­ment reflect a neces­sary step towards restor­ing order, yet the exe­cu­tion of these meas­ures must be approached with sens­it­iv­ity and foresight. The stat­ist­ics presen­ted by the BCC reveal a con­cern­ing real­ity: out of the 3 416 vend­ing bays avail­able in the CBD, only a small frac­tion are licensed for oper­a­tion. This raises import­ant ques­tions about the reg­u­lat­ory frame­work gov­ern­ing informal trad­ing. The fact that many vendors are oper­at­ing without licenses indic­ates a sig­ni­fic­ant gap between the city’s reg­u­la­tions and the real­it­ies of informal eco­nom­ies. While the enforce­ment of these reg­u­la­tions is essen­tial for main­tain­ing order, it is equally import­ant to recog­nise the eco­nomic con­tri­bu­tions that these vendors make to the local eco­nomy. In an inter­view, Bulawayo Deputy Mayor Coun­cil­lor Edwin Ndlovu emphas­ised the coun­cil’s com­mit­ment to relo­cat­ing vendors to des­ig­nated bays. This pro­act­ive approach aims to cre­ate a more organ­ised vend­ing envir­on­ment, but it also neces­sit­ates robust com­mu­nic­a­tion with the vendors them­selves. The BCC’s decision to move vendors to altern­at­ive loc­a­tions like Bakta’s and Egodini must be accom­pan­ied by a dia­logue that con­siders the vendors’ per­spect­ives and needs. Fail­ure to engage with the vendors could lead to fur­ther ten­sions and an increase in unreg­u­lated activ­it­ies. The Bulawayo Traders and Vendors Asso­ci­ation (BVTA) has rightly called for increased dia­logue between the Gov­ern­ment and vendors. This engage­ment is cru­cial for pro­mot­ing a more organ­ised informal sec­tor that bene­fits both the vendors and the city. BVTA exec­ut­ive dir­ector Mr Michael Ndi­weni’s asser­tion that a col­lab­or­at­ive approach can lead to bet­ter out­comes is par­tic­u­larly sali­ent. Instead of blanket pro­hib­i­tions, the focus should be on edu­ca­tion and empower­ment of vendors to ensure com­pli­ance with city by-laws while allow­ing them to thrive eco­nom­ic­ally. The notion of zero night vend­ing, while aimed at address­ing spe­cific con­cerns, needs to be recon­sidered. As Mr Ndi­weni poin­ted out, night vend­ing is a real­ity in many urban set­tings world­wide, and it can be man­aged effect­ively within reg­u­lat­ory frame­works. The poten­tial for gen­er­at­ing income for com­munit­ies dur­ing night time hours is sig­ni­fic­ant, and rather than view­ing night vend­ing as a nuis­ance, the author­it­ies should explore ways to integ­rate it into the broader urban eco­nomy. Moreover, the voices of res­id­ents, like Bulawayo United Res­id­ents Asso­ci­ation (Bura) chair­per­son Mr Winos Dube, reflect a com­mon sen­ti­ment among cit­izens who are frus­trated with the deteri­or­a­tion of urban clean­li­ness and order. While res­id­ents com­mend the Gov­ern­ment’s move to enforce reg­u­la­tions, it is cru­cial to recog­nise that enforce­ment alone is not a sus­tain­able solu­tion. The emphasis should also be on com­munity involve­ment and aware­ness – build­ing ini­ti­at­ives that encour­age respons­ible vend­ing prac­tices and envir­on­mental stew­ard­ship among vendors. As the BCC moves for­ward with the relo­ca­tion and enforce­ment pro­cesses, it must strike a bal­ance between reg­u­la­tion and sup­port. This includes not only ensur­ing that vendors oper­ate within the law but also provid­ing them with the tools and resources neces­sary to suc­ceed. An effect­ive vend­ing strategy could include licens­ing pro­grammes, train­ing ses­sions on busi­ness prac­tices, and sup­port for waste man­age­ment ini­ti­at­ives. In con­clu­sion, the situ­ation sur­round­ing vend­ing in Bulawayo encap­su­lates the broader chal­lenges faced by urban centres nav­ig­at­ing the com­plex inter­play of reg­u­la­tion, eco­nomic activ­ity, and com­munity well-being. The BCC’s actions, while neces­sary, should pave the way for a more col­lab­or­at­ive and inclus­ive approach to urban vend­ing. By enga­ging with vendors and the com­munity, the city can foster a vibrant informal eco­nomy that con­trib­utes to its over­all vital­ity while ensur­ing that pub­lic spaces remain clean and orderly. The path for­ward lies not just in enforce­ment but in part­ner­ships that recog­nise the valu­able role vendors play in the fab­ric of urban life. https://www.pressreader.com/zimbabwe/sunday-news-zimbabwe/20250316/281590951343005

Youth urged to be pioneers of change, climate resilience BULAWAYO youths have been urged to be pioneers of change in reducing carbon footprint, develop sustainable businesses and advocating for policies that respond to their needs and those of the city. Speaking at the Urban Futures advanced certificate in green technologies youth champions graduation ceremony on Friday, Lupane State University economics lecturer who also served as the guest of honour, Mr Nkululeko Mpofu, said the youth should be conscious about how they are contributing to the food system. The Urban Futures program is fully supported by HIVOS and delivered by a Bulawayo based consortium of partners, namely the Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Association (BVTA) as lead in partnership with GreenHut Trust, Africa Food Revolution and the Unemployed and Vulnerable Foundation Trust (UVFT). The initiative was launched in October 2023 to promote youth participation in the food sector and foster economic growth through sustainable food that is accessible, affordable and appealing to all. Mr Mpofu said the future is in the hands of the youth; hence, there is a need for them to build a climate-change-resilient, smart and inclusive food-secure Bulawayo. “I would like to celebrate the milestone of the urban futures project, especially the youth who have managed to gain important skills on the City of Bulawayo food systems,” said Mpofu. In view of climate change, he said globally, this has become a contentious issue that has ignited urgent need for urban and peri-urban environments to transition from business as usual. “The youth are the chosen generation to kick-start that transition in the City of Bulawayo,” said Mr Mpofu. In doing so, he noted that ICTs play a crucial role in agriculture, as the Internet is becoming increasingly affordable, especially with the introduction of Starlink. Mr Mpofu urged the youth to embrace technology and incorporate it into their production systems. The Advanced Certificate in Green Technologies course was a six-week experiential learning-based programme, which delivered theory and practical sessions through the Lupane State University’s Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at the Centre for Continued Education (CCE), with support from HIVOS. The event saw 52 youths graduate, with 28 being female and 24 being male. Notably, the course also embraced inclusivity by ensuring that key populations were represented, including two graduates who are sign language users. “The certificate course is inclusive of key and vulnerable populations during its delivery, which is done through inclusion of people with disabilities as students, through engagement of sign language interpreters who aid by giving active interpretation of the lessons in real time, as well as ensuring venues for the lessons are easily accessible to those using wheelchairs or with any other disability,” said BVTA. The certificate course significantly contributes to the Urban Futures’ aims of poverty alleviation by increasing production that is affordable, in demand, and helpful in reducing food insecurity. It continuously adds value to the existing platforms and strategies for engagement between key actors in the food processing sector and the city’s residents. Representatives from the Ministry of Local Government, Public works and National Housing, Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training and the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement, among others attended the programme. https://www.chronicle.co.zw/youth-urged-to-be-pioneers-of-change-climate-resilience/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1AMisuR57OZ1LMTQJ-CO0KkDfVL5INjc86YkaR4iWX39bl56DUcJaELS4_aem_iVk0FUac9NioDxUJYl2pBw slot gacor

THE CITY OF BULAWAYO REVIEWS ARCHAIC INFORMAL TRADERS’ POLICY TO INCLUDE MSMES The Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has initiated an ambitious process of developing a comprehensive, inclusive, equitable, practicable, sustainable and resilient policy document in collaboration with Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Zimbabwe (FES) and local partners to replace the existing informal traders’ policy. The previous policy developed in 2010 primarily focused on the allocation procedures for trading bays, with priority given to child-headed families, female-headed households, and individuals suffering from chronic illnesses. However, its scope was limited to a few sites within the Central Business District (CBD) and shopping centers, excluding other trading locations and key actors in the broader metropolitan economy of Bulawayo. KEY SHORTCOMINGS OF THE PREVIOUS POLICY One of the significant shortcomings of the previous policy was its exclusive recognition of informal traders while overlooking the role of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the city’s economic ecosystem. Given the growing importance of MSMEs in local economic development and its huge contribution in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) that is estimated to be over 70%. According to the 2022 Finscope SME Survey micro, small and medium enterprises contributed USD8.2 billion to the national Gross Domestic Product. The new policy aims to address these gaps and create an enabling environment for businesses of all sizes. WHY IS THE INFORMAL TRADERS’ POLICY BEING REVIEWED? The decision to review and expand the policy is driven by several key factors; 1. Alignment with the MSMEs Section – The BCC established the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Section in February 2024 to provide strategic oversight and support to small businesses. The policy revision seeks to ensure that the activities of this section are well-integrated into the city’s economic development framework. 2. Inclusion of Other Economic Actors – Unlike the previous policy, which only recognized informal traders, the new policy will incorporate small and medium enterprises (SMEs), ensuring a more holistic approach to business development in Bulawayo. 3. Setting Clear Growth Benchmarks – The policy will outline clear growth benchmarks for micro-entrepreneurs, helping them transition from informal to formal business structures. This will contribute to the sustainability and expansion of small businesses within the city. 4. Supporting MSME Growth – The new framework will introduce mechanisms that facilitate the growth of MSMEs, such as access to infrastructure, financial support, and business development services. By providing a structured pathway for MSMEs, the policy will help unlock economic opportunities and drive disruptive innovation in Bulawayo. 5. Enhance formalisation of micro entrepreneurs – The new policy is envisaged to support the formalization, clustering and aid to deal with taxation regimes challenges faced by micro, small, medium enterprises. It will also help to aggregate and account for MSMEs actors in the City of Bulawayo. 6. Align with the Zimbabwe SMEs Policy This SMEs policies primarily focus on improving access to finance, providing training and skills development programs, facilitating market access through trade shows and public procurement, and promoting linkages between large businesses and SMEs. The MSMEs policy overhaul shall to create a more inclusive and supportive business environment. The policy review also aligns Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Association Strategic Plan for 2023- 2026 which seeks “ To promote the creation of a conducive business environment which recognizes vendors and informal traders, cultivates entrepreneurship, enables access to markets and enhances resilience by 2026”. It ensures that all entrepreneur whether informal traders or established SMEs can thrive and contribute meaningfully to the city’s economy. By Michael Ndiweni Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Association (BVTA) Executive Director Views expressed in this article are mine not that of my organization slot gacor

slot gacor

“Omama! Okuhle Siyazenzela!” is a powerful chant used by the Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Association (BVTA) Women’s Council members meaning “Women are the source of their own success.” This group of women was brought together as part of BVTA’s efforts to tackle the sense of inability experienced by most marginalised groups particularly women informal economy workers, in accordance with its second strategic objective aimed at advancing the ideals of social justice and contribute towards the creation of social and economic systems. At the end of a very productive and supported 2024, the BVTA Women’s Council celebrated their efforts towards the BVTA initiated revolving fund initiative, as a group. Designed to provide financial support to women in the community, the initiative fosters self-investment into small businesses, educational opportunities, and other ventures that enhance their economic independence and wellbeing. The BVTA women’s council members put together their resources towards uplifting each other financially and growing their businesses. Support from BVTA within this initiative includes administrative direction, linking and learning initiatives as well as provision of other social support activities that ensure they are able to perform in their day-to-day businesses. Among key activities is mental health support and gender-based violence awareness, through BVTA partners. The women’s council meets bi-monthly, supporting each other through financial support given to one member within each group of 5 members. The women also put together funds towards an annual event held at the end of the year aimed at bringing about key lessons, milestone achievements and planning for future prospects as a team. With this in mind, the women continue to thrive to grow in their various businesses, whilst tackling various upcoming trends and shifts in the business arena. BVTA continues to walk their journey towards a better tomorrow and further developing of their various businesses with them. Women’s Revolving Fund Initiative: Providing beyond financial support toto slot toto slot situs toto link slot gacor slot gacor

Social Entrepreneurship in the Age of Disruption of Traditional Development is and other actions are urgent as alternatives to reduce the carnage that is faced by non-state actors after the dismantling of USAID foreign aid by the new American Administration. This is the time for NGOs to urgently introspect and act now. This is the time to accept this situation NGOs can’t change and is not in their control. None is sure if the three months waiting period will bring any difference . The new reality is that this has happened and people have lost livelihoods, families have been affected but there is an urgent need to act. The Associated Press reported that USAID shutdown is upending livelihoods for non-profit workers, farmers and other Americans. Relief Web states that the U.S. government’s decision to pause foreign aid for 90 days has already had dire consequences. Millions of children from war-torn countries depend on this support for basic essentials, education and mental health support. All of this and more is now at risk. My considered view is that there is highly possibility that some countries may start reviewing or realigning their development aid as USA wields so much influence to the world as the global super power. This may also make NGOs find themselves in a similar predicament. The way forward: Re-thinking NGO Sustainability. Strengthening regional philanthropy Need to strengthen Pan African Philanthropy for African countries or Asian philanthropy for Asians in that order. 2. Embrace Social Entrepreneurship There is need for NGOs to pursue social entrepreneurship instead of relying 100% on restricted funding. NGOs need to look at opportunities existing in the legal framework and pursue this idea. My organization Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Association already has one such enterprise through its commercial venture. It is selling an Insurance Package that covers Medical aid, Funeral cover, Insurance for stock and Hospital cash back plan for low income earners. This model of social entrepreneurship is gradually yielding positive results to unrestricted funding. Establish domestic funding mechanisms Countries like Zimbabwe just like South Africa must urgently introduce domestic funding models, i.e. where NGOs can apply for grants instead of wholly relying foreign aid.   Leverage on Community Share Ownership Schemes There is need also to look at how Community Share Ownership Schemes can be modelled to support work of NGOs doing great work in communities. 5. Strengthen Corporate Social Responsibility Partnerships There is a need to also explore ideas on Corporate Social Responsibility as models that can also support the work of NGOs, this may mean NGOs entering into short term to long term arrangements of managing community projects on behalf of some big corporations. Institutionalising Sustainability in Development Aid NGOs must also take a stand and introduce concepts that will compel development partners to invest sustainability models for organizations beyond lip service of sustainability as a concept. There has to be standards that NGOs set through their collective bodies like national NGOs associations that should be binding to development partners. For example; if a partner is entering into an agreement with a local organization, a certain percentage must be ceded towards sustainable investment. This idea may revolutionise aid, but I know it may sound unpalatable on the face value. Advocacy to influence policy decisions 7.NGOs may also engage in push back advocacy to influence policy decisions and raise awareness about the consequences of aid disruptions. By Michael Ndiweni Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Association (BVTA) Executive Director Statements in this article express my views not that of my organization and I write in my personal capacity NGOs SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN THE AGE OF DEVELOPMENT AID DISRUPTION toto slot toto slot situs toto link slot gacor slot gacor

This week beginning 10 February 2025, I have been inundated with enquiries about the closure of 5th Avenue controversial market as reported in the Sunday News following a full council meeting resolution made last week at a full council meeting. I would state my opinion at the end of this long piece. Let me first thank the old women and men who worked tirelessly to TRY and ensure that there is sanity at 5Avenue, a series of meetings have been held at higher echelons of power and the lowest of all. The Bulawayo Micro, Small, Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Working Group has held several meetings trying to come up with a solution to a plethora of problems bedeviling 5th Avenue. A bit of history of 5th Avenue According to members of the BMSMEs Working Group 5th Avenue was opened after the 2005 Murambatsvina Clean Up exercise as a holding space for displaced women and men. BCC would then close the road to ensure that people have somewhere to work from. It then attracted more people as they joined the trading spaces. Associations such as Bulawayo Upcoming Traders Association (BUTA) are reportedly as some of the pioneers of 5th Avenue among others. Rise of space barons Fast forward to year 2020 when the government ordered all local authorities to close all potential COVID19 hotspots like market places during the lockdown period, you will remember that those women and men duly complied with the directive and vacated the trading area. This would then spark all the problems you see today. Some unscrupulous individuals started mobilizing and bussing people to occupy the trading area without following the due process of re-opening the market area. BCC sometime in year 2022 resumed the process to refurbish and reopen the market, all hell broke loose. The Chronicle Newspaper reported that thousands could have fallen victim to unscrupulous criminals masquerading as informal traders’ unions as well as space barons, claiming to have the capacity to secure vending bays, some were alleged to have paid USD3- USD250 to secure the trading bay. These individuals would then transcend into notorious space barons who would collect some fees like USD1 – USD3 per day as protection fees from being harassed since they occupied the area without permission from Bulawayo City Council or government that had directed all local authorities to close such spaces. Unfortunately such individuals have seem to be unwilling to cooperate or join associations so that they are assisted and be properly accounted under the municipal bylaws, they prefer to pay USD1-USD3 per day to their masters and not pay USD11 licence per month to the local authority and then we see the cat and mouse with municipal police. https://www.chronicle.co.zw/vendors-scammed-by-criminals-posing-as-trade-unions-and-space-barons-ahead-of-5th-avenue-market-commissioning/ https://www.newsday.co.zw/southerneye/local/article/200035330/bcc-urged-to-be-tough-against-space-barons Drug and illicit substance haven The rise of space barons gave rise to the proliferation of all nefarious activities in the market where some people started selling drugs and illicit substances because were protected by such individuals. This then created problems for the local authority because it had to collect waste from the site from people who are not paying a cent to the City, the local authority must service ablution facilities for people who are not contributing anything towards labor responsible for the toilets. Some individuals would relieve themselves on sanitary lanes because toilets had malfunctioned, some would remember one incident of a lady who was reported to be have been electrocuted when was relieving herself in one sanity lane in the trading area. https://www.sundaynews.co.zw/chaos-on-5th-avenue-market-area-gives-city-a-perennial-headache/ Following the unfortunate incident of electrocution my organization Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Association partnered with WILD and refurbished toilets at corner 5TH Avenue and Fife Street to improve their usability but sadly those toilets are now an eye sore once again. The previous designated 5th Avenue occupants Let us again remember that there were women and women who complied to move away when it was closed officially, this meant that after the occupation by unscrupulous individuals working in cahoots with some dangerous elements, these women and men had no place to work from, so a conflict ensured now between those who previously worked from 5th Avenue and those who occupied it through disregarding the bylaws. Bulawayo Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMES) Working Group efforts BMSMESs made efforts to try and bring sanity to 5th Avenue, a series of meeting were held with Bulawayo City Council to try ang negotiate for a resolution, BCC argued that it is difficult to regularize groups that allocated themselves trading outside the municipal bylaws. It was agreed in year 2023 to re- allocate trading bays through collaboration the BMSMEs platform. Some association jostled for the slots and pushed to get the lions of the vending bays but still chaos continued, some individuals mobilized people to resist the re-allocation exercise. BCC issued several warnings that it was going forcibly evict those who are not designated. Several proposals were made for example; to have a dollar per day collection by BCC, still arguments arose that it is difficult to penetrate the area and collect revenue due to the congestion and politicization of the working spaces. The other proposal was that some areas can be opened in the City centre and introduce weekend trading. https://cite.org.zw/byo-informal-traders-face-sunday-deadline-to-vacate-5th-avenue/ The Bulawayo Informal Sector Working Group (BISWG) now known as the Bulawayo Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMES) Working Group refers to a group representing traders associations in Bulawayo, primarily focused on advocating for their needs and concerns regarding trading spaces and regulations to the local council, the Bulawayo City Council (BCC), particularly in relation to the designated trading area on 5th Avenue Problems at 5th Avenue * Politicisation of informal trading as a potential political fodder and name dropping to hoodwink people, try to win votes during elections. These claims were said in one high level meeting here in Bulawayo* Some individuals are now space barons who make people pay protection fees and they pocket all the funds at the expense of service delivery for informal traders like refuse collection, servicing of

toto slot toto slot situs toto link slot gacor slot gacor

toto slot toto slot situs toto link slot gacor slot gacor