BVTA is implementing a Vendors Voices Project, funded by Trust Africa that is creating opportunities for policy engagement between Bulawayo City Council and Informal traders. The project uses formal and non-formal-strategies such as Onsite Digital Age Vendors (ODAVs) trainings which equip informal traders with digital literacy skills i.e photo and video shooting, use of social media platforms, mechanisms on how to report cases using smart mobile phones. The other non- formal strategy that is being used in the project is setting up Community Based Advocacy Teams (COMBATs), Policy Engagement Stokvels which are community mobilisation tools and spaces for dialogue on issues affecting the informal traders.
The voices project has seen 83% of the participants trained in digital literacy opening Facebook and Twitter accounts for sharing and posting information. As a result of these advocacy strategies brought by the Vendors Voices project, informal traders are at loggerheads with council demanding better vending sites. In spaces provided for engagement informal traders took a jibe at councillors and quipped that councillors are aloof and do absolutely nothing about their issues.
Some issues that rile informal traders is that available vending sites are crowded, lack of toilets at sites that they occupy currently. For those with toilets the markets are marred with unpleasant stench smell from the nearby bushes as people use them to relieve themselves posing serious health hazards such as outbreak of cholera. Women face the brunt of these toilets that lack proper and clean facilities for them to change their sanitary wear.
Speaking to the BVTA Vendors Voice, Annoyance Musanhi said, “the lack of toilets in vending sites is causing serious problems, customers hesitate to buy or do not buy at all because of the smell from the area as people relieve themselves at a nearby trench. After relieving themselves, there is nowhere to wash hands and they rush to serve customers and this is unhygienic”.
Vendors have also vowed to confront Bulawayo City Council and push it to reduce exorbitant licence fees. Due to high vending licencing fees, most informal traders end up selling their wares illegally in undesignated sites since many cannot afford the fees. This results in violent raids by the Municipal police and confiscation of their goods, leading to loss of income and failure to fend for their families.
The project continues to acquaint informal traders with knowledge on rights to participate at local level decision making processes and municipal By- Laws. BVTA will also continue imparting vendors with skills on advocacy and creating a number of accessible platforms for policy engagement between Bulawayo City Council and informal traders.