by-law

Insiza RDC crafts Hawkers and Vendors by-law

Insiza Rural District Council (RDC) has crafted a draft Hawkers and Vendors by-law for informal traders following complaints raised during engagement meetings organized by Sizimele under the Urban Resilience Safe Markets project early this year, that there are no regulations governing the sector. The informal economy in Filabusi has been operating unregulated due to the absence of by-laws which govern the sector. Informal traders have been facing challenges which affect the growth of their businesses. Some of the challenges came out during engagement meetings held in February this year, leading to the resolution of coming up with a draft of the by-law. In the engagement meetings, it was observed that there are competing interests among informal traders, there seem to be conflicts between those operating in car boots, those who come and sell in bulk and go and those who pay licenses and rentals to the local authority. Some traders argue that there is no accountability nor value for the fees they pay for service delivery. “After gathering the concerns of the informal traders, the councillors resolved this by crafting the by-law to regulate the informal economy activities in the town and took up the issues to the RDC which acted accordingly, said Nontokozo Ndlovu, RDC legal secretary. “According to Section 88 of the RDC Act, a notice for inspection of the draft by-law must be publicised on newspapers and notice boards for objections. A notice was flighted on 21 June and will be up for 21 days and after that the inspection will run for 14 days. If there are no objections, the draft will be taken to the legal drafting expert for perfection and to the Ministry of Local governance for approval, then after that the by-law will be gazetted as a statutory,” said Ndlovu. Informal traders have hope that the by-laws will ensure harmony among informal traders and also help to align informal traders to the local authority economic development plans at the same time solidify the relationship with the local authority.  

Insiza RDC crafts Hawkers and Vendors by-law Read More »

New Informal Sector By-law gazetted

The government of Zimbabwe has gazetted the Bulawayo City Council (Hawkers and Vendors) By-laws, 2020 through Statutory Instrument 181 of 2020.  Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Association (BVTA) for the past four years has been engaged in protracted advocacy to get the By-laws that was enacted in 1976 reviewed and aligned with the Constitution of Zimbabwe and to conform with the current trends.    BVTA in 2018 further pushed for amendments to the city’s Hawkers and Vending By-law through submitting an Informal Sector Model By-law which Bulawayo City Council (BCC) analysed and produced a report and shared it through full council meeting minutes.  In 2017, the organisation carried out a study to understand institutional complexes governing the informal sector in partnership with National University of Science and Technology (NUST) Institute of Development Studies (IDS) which revealed that the By-laws used to govern traders were outdated, need to be reviewed and reformed. The study concluded that the then Hawkers and Street Vendors By-laws of 1976 were restrictive, and did not promote the rights of vendors. The BVTA Model By-law was a result of wide consultations that were held from 2016 until Bulawayo City Council invited stakeholders to make their submissions on By-law amendments.   BVTA has been following up on the amendment of the By-law since the period of submission.  BVTA through its lawyers is still analysing the gazetted By-law to ascertain if it is responsive to issues that were raised such as gender, provision of amenities such as proper ablution facilities, water, proper trading spaces, setting of timelines for the processing of licenses. Vendors and Informal traders in the City of Bulawayo will be sensitized on the provisions of the newly gazetted By-Law as part of widespread awareness campaign in the pipeline

New Informal Sector By-law gazetted Read More »