bvtatrust

Bulawayo, August 25, 2016 – DUE to the country’s protracted economic crisis, the city of Bulawayo has, in recent years, lost its industrial hub status to become a teeming vending district. However, despite keeping the proverbial wolf from the door for much of the time, street vendors are still confronted by their own challenges, not least among them lack of ablution facilities, lack of proper vending structures and no law to govern their operations. Female vendors particularly, feel the heat when it comes to the use of ablution facilities. RadioVOP this week caught up with Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Association programs coordinator, Michael Ndiweni, who spoke about their challenges and the new measures they have placed to ameliorate them. “There are no toilets; As such, women going through menstruation cycles find it difficult to survive. Some would want to change their pads but cannot because of lack supporting facilities,” Ndiweni said. He also said there are no policies protecting vendors. On top of their troubles, Ndiweni said, income obtained through the trade is ever dwindling as individual vendors always face competition from the ever ballooning number of vendors trying to make a living. Because of this, he added, their source of “employment” shall ever remain  insecure. “Their incomes are often minimal and their sales fluctuate,” he said. It is crucial for policymakers to acknowledge and address these challenges, Ndiweni said. He said as an organisation championing the rights of vendors, they have launched a self-funded training programme to sensitise members on their constitutional rights and guard against abuse by municipal police. He said the training was in response to the continued confiscation of their wares coupled with the inhumane treatment they received from municipal police officers. Recently, four municipal police were left hospitalised after they were assaulted by angry vendors, who were protesting against the confiscation of their goods. Ndiweni said vendors have constitutional rights, which must be respected, hence, the training exercise to sensitise them on their rights. “Our organisation has noted that the rights of vendors and informal traders are frequently violated by municipal police in city of Bulawayo and, hence, their rights must be protected and promoted,” he said. He said they have also observed that a proportionate number of vendors were not aware of their rights or the means to seek recourse when their rights were violated. “We then call for measures that will empower vendors to speak up for their rights,” he said. Ndiweni said they were seeking to reach all vendors doted around Bulawayo’s 29 municipal wards. By supporting street vendors, Ndiweni said cities could foster equitable development and improve the livelihood of society’s most vulnerable populations. Source: www.radiovop.com

BULAWAYO vendors have expressed concern over the continued harassment they are subjected to by municipal police during their raids in the city. BY NQOBANI NDLOVU The Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has since December last year been carrying out raids against unlicensed vendors in the city. According to the Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Association (BVTA), municipal police have of late been resorting to violent tactics and other inhumane treatment on its members. BVTA projects officer Kudzani Ndlovu said the behaviour of the municipal police could not be condoned, as it was unbecoming. “The BVTA is disturbed and exceedingly outraged by municipal officers’ continuing use of violence and inhumane treatment of vendors and informal traders operating in undesignated sites. “As a membership organisation representing vendors and informal traders in Bulawayo we find the behaviour of municipal officers outrageous and unacceptable in a democratic society. This unaccountable, abusive policing can only cause further mistrust between the vending community and BCC,” Ndlovu told Southern Eye. Bulawayo mayor, Martin Moyo recently defended the raids on unlicensed vendors insisting they had been given adequate time to relocate to designated sites, adding his council would not backtrack on that issue. Bulawayo has more than 6 000 unoccupied vending bays, which were deserted after traders noticed low customer volumes since the bays were located in secluded areas. However, Ndlovu said council should sympathise with the unlicensed vendors, arguing poverty drove them to take to hawking to fend for their families. He added: “We have said it before and we will say it again; the vending problem is part of the bigger economic challenge that is facing the whole country. Dealing with this problem requires a new and innovative approach which will not affect livelihoods. “Thus, we call on the BCC to take decisive steps in availing temporary vending sites within the Central Business District (CBD) and in dealing with these unruly police officers who are slowly becoming the law unto themselves so as to restore public trust in the municipal force.” Source: www.southerneye.co.zw