markets

BVTA Press Statement on lockdown extension for 2 weeks with the opening of markets upon satisfying COVID-19 WHO protocols.

15 February, 2021 As Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Association (BVTA), we welcome the development as it falls within what we called for i.e placing livelihoods at the center of enforcement of COVID-19 measures, on opening of markets upon satisfying COVID-19 World Health Organisation (WHO) protocols. Our understanding of satisfying WHO protocols is the screening at market entrances by a thermometer, washing of hands at the entrances, masking up in market places and observing physical distancing between trading bays owners and queuing customers. We implore the government to clarify some semblance of ambiguity on the statement on compliance to WHO protocols to the informal sector, to remove any doubt. As BVTA, we had already handed over hundreds of sanitizers, a thousand masks, hand washing water dispensers, gave Bulawayo City Council (BCC) road line paint to mark trading bays to conform to physical distancing, recruited and deployed Market Bailiffs to monitor and raise awareness on ways to reduce the spread of the virus. We also ran a series of radio programs at SkyzMetro FM, where informal traders shared strategies they are employing to fight the spread of the virus. We are going to urgently distribute more materials to support informal traders and address the Cost of Compliance in the interim, as well as aid them to comply with COVID-19 protocols. These will include thermometers for use in enclosed markets.  It was indeed long overdue to balance livelihoods and enforcement. We continue to call for a holistic approach in mitigating the spread of virus. If we all put our hands on the deck we will be able to contain its spread. We are confident that a holistic approach makes everyone responsible to play their part and prospects of defying the lockdown will be reduced. We still insist on a cushioning package to bridge the impact and shocks of the lockdown on vendors and informal traders. Contact details: Fourth floor, Suite 406, Fidelity Life Building Fife street and 11th Avenue Email:bulawayovendors@gmail.com Facebook: Bulawayo Vendors Trust/ Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Association Twitter: @bvtatrust Website: www.bvtatrust.org  Phone: +263 713 635 908

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ZRBF a boon in the COVID-19 fight

The Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund (ZRBF) that funds the Sizimele Consortium in the Market Aggregation COVID-19 Vendors Response – Market Access project has brought relief on the plight of vendors and informal traders in market places. After visiting markets in Bulawayo, Informal traders in market places have expressed gratitude on COVID-19 awareness intervention. Through radio calls, some vendors and informal traders said the project came at the right time as it has helped save many lives from contracting the virus. BVTA has been conducting radio shows to spread awareness on COVID-19, funded by Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund (ZRBF). The radio program has resulted in resilience as Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has been responding swiftly in the allocation of trading spaces in line with COVID-19 protocols that Market Bailiffs have been raising in radio programs. Market Bailiffs deployed in markets have noticed that proper awareness about the spread of the dreaded coronavirus appears to be still eluding some sections of the society, particularly those linked to essential services, in spite of the constant rise in the number of positive cases. Social distancing between workers in informal markets has been difficult because of crowding. For instance in markets people work close to each other and do not have walls separating them. Concerns are being raised by Market Bailiffs that due to the ease of lockdown regulations, some vendors and informal traders and customers have ceased to wear their masks properly, they drop them to their chins, leaving the mouth and the nose uncovered, thereby exposing themselves to the virus. Market Bailiffs have been constantly reminding them on the importance of wearing masks and sanitising of hands or washing hands with soap as an alternative if they do not have sanitisers. The ZRBF funded Sizimele Consortium through the Market Aggregation project is also providing or installing hand washing water dispensers branded with COVID-19 awareness messages and donating hand sanitizers for distribution in market places where defined beneficiaries access commodities as well as purchasing paint for marking physical distancing spaces in marketplaces to help fight the spread of COVID-19 in market places. Market Bailiffs continue to remind vendors and informal traders of COVID-19 guidelines that must be constantly followed in order to protect themselves, their families and their communities from the virus. The guidelines are in compliance with those stipulated by World Health Organisation (WHO) which include washing of hands with soap or using sanitisers, wearing masks and maintaining physical distancing.

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Gweru demolitions affect 17 000 families

ABOUT 16 960 families have lost their source of livelihood, while the Gweru City Council also lost close to $5 million in potential revenue following a recent government directive to demolish illegal vending structures. By Stephen Chadenga/ PRAISEMORE SITHOLE Zimbabwe National Chamber of Small to Medium Enterprises (ZCSME) Gweru chapter chairperson Tafadzwa Mazorodze said the affected vendors were registered with the local authority. “The demolitions left 16 960 lives affected and this figure is from the 3 140 registered market stalls in Gweru urban,” Mazorodze said on the sidelines of a ZCSME provincial executive meeting held in the Midlands capital yesterday. “A breakdown of those affected showed that at Kombayi Farmers Market, 200 market stalls were destroyed, affecting nearly 4 000 lives with council losing revenue of $372 000 per month from rentals.” He said the 200 registered flea markets around Kudzanai bus terminus left 800 vendors stranded with council losing revenue of $186 000 per month. “To date, since the lockdown was effected on March 30, council has lost about $4 996 200 in revenue from the vendors whose operations were affected by the demolitions,” he said. Speaking at the same meeting, ZCSME Midlands provincial secretary-general Bigboy Murenga said his executive was in the process of compiling data on the number of people affected by council demolitions in the province. Gweru mayor Josiah Makombe, however, said he would be meeting the ZCSME Gweru chapter executive to deliberate on the issue. “As council, we appreciate the contributions made by registered informal traders in the city,” he said. “Obviously, we will be looking at making sure that registered informal traders get top priority when we reallocate vendors at the new Mtapa site.” He said he appreciated that informal traders were economically affected by the demolitions, but there was also need to bring sanity to the city. Meanwhile, Bulawayo Vendors and Traders’ Association (BVTA) director Michael Ndiweni has said informal traders with disabilities were the most affected by the lockdown as they could not ply their trade illegally like their able-bodied counterparts were currently doing. “Most people with disabilities are unable to ambush customers. They have to do their job formally because they cannot run away from authorities,” he said. “That is essential for me as far as we are concerned. As BVTA, we care about the life of the disabled who cannot improvise under these difficult circumstances,” he said. “We have recommended models which have been tried in India to be implemented in Zimbabwe.”

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Council destroys illegal vending cabins, stalls

Harare City Council teams over the weekend demolished vendors’ illegal cabins and stalls in Mbare and Highfield, but vendors complained that the destruction was done before the promised new market areas had been developed. While council announced that it would start developing new market areas today, and that it had no intention of destroying livelihoods, the vendors said it would have been better to have allowed them to move to the new sites first. On Saturday, council workmen descended on Mbare and yesterday visited Machipisa and other places in Highfield. Commenting on the issue to Zimpapers TV Network on Saturday, spokesperson for Harare City Council Mr Michael Chideme said the municipality was taking advantage of low human traffic during the lockdown to move the stands to properly designated sites. Mr Chideme “The people who were trading on this site will be put in a new complex, so on Monday (today) our teams will be working on the new complex, flattening out, pouring concrete and then marking the vending bays. “The overflow from this market, will be absorbed at the market under construction at Coca Cola. You will also realise that we have people who are selling here who had abandoned the Mupedzanhamo market and some who had abandoned the other markets at Mbare Musika. They will go back to their original vending sites,” Mr Chideme said. When The Herald arrived at Machipisa Shopping Centre yesterday, hundreds of vendors were salvaging materials from the destroyed cabins. Most of them had no kind words for the city fathers and said council should have provided alternatives first before destroying the existing cabins. A Machipisa resident, Mrs Tabeth Rungano who had her cabin demolished, said her source of income had been destroyed. “Yes we are aware that our cabins were illegally built but these were our source of income. We do not have any formal employment and we earn our living through informal trading. “Now that our source of income has been destroyed, we have nowhere to turn to for survival. It was better for council to regularise our cabins, or prepare some strategic sites, before destroying our tables,” she said, while shedding tears. Mr Trymore Nelson, a vendor at Mapuranga in Highfield, also bemoaned the move by the city fathers saying they should have been considerate of the state of the country’s economy before carrying out the operation. “A big percentage of the Zimbabwean population, particularly the urban dwellers survive on vending and informal trading. This is how we survive. Our industry is not fully functional and the only way to feed our families is through informal jobs. The council should have considered all that. They should also have created alternative places where we can do our business. Yes, they said there are places where we will be allowed to do business, but the places are not ready,” he said. The Herald witnessed many residents helping themselves to roofing sheets, timber and other materials from the destroyed structures.

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Risk of covid-19 as markets open

CHAOTIC scenes were witnessed at the market place in Bulawayo yesterday as it was teeming with people, mostly vendors who jostled to buy fresh produce. It took police and soldiers to maintain law and order as people wrestled each other during the commotion, which was witnessed by a Chronicle news crew. Long winding queues were the order of the day as people from all walks of life thronged various fruit and vegetable shops. In some shops, elderly persons could be seen pleading with shop employees to get first preference. Anti-riot police and soldiers kept a close eye as they continually monitored the potentially volatile situation characterised by an exchange of harsh words, particularly from vendors who accused each other of attempting to jump queues during the melee. Market places had been closed when the lockdown came into effect last week on Monday but reopened following a directive by President Mnangagwa that farmers should bring their produce to the markets during the lockdown period without hindrance, so as to feed the nation. When a Chronicle news crew visited selected fruit and vegetable suppliers, security personnel comprising ZRP and ZNA members were having a torrid time as they tried to control long winding queues punctuated by chaotic scenes as people failed to maintain social distancing. People who spoke to Chronicle were generally excited following the decision by Government to reopen the market place. “The reopening of the market is good news for us considering that unscrupulous traders were capitalising on the situation to charge exorbitant prices for basic commodities like tomatoes and vegetables,” said Ms Nomatter Ndlovu. A Chronicle news crew observed that although shop attendants were hand sanitising customers at the entrance, hygienic standards were not being maintained as evidenced by rotten tomatoes, vegetables and banana peels strewn all over the area. “I came early in the morning and joined the queue to buy tomatoes for resale. There was commotion as everyone jostled to buy. Police and soldiers really assisted in maintaining order although the principle of social distancing isn’t practicable,” said Zaniah Sibanda of Pumula East. Another resident, Mr Ronald Sibanda said the elderly were not getting preferential treatment in terms of queues. “I am here intending to buy ginger and garlic, which I use for health purposes, but now am forced to queue despite my old age and with the issue of Corona virus, we are more susceptible, especially taking into consideration that the issue of social distancing is not being practised in such a public place,” he said. A vendor, Ms Dorcas Rwodzi said there was a need for shop owners to maintain hygienic standards in light of Covid-19. A shop attendant at Fresh Route Fruit and Vegetables, who declined to be named said they are allowing a limited number of customers at a given time. “Customers are getting inside the shops in small numbers as we’re trying to limit the numbers and maintaining social distancing as part of measures to curb the spread of Covid-19,” he said The Chronicle news crew also visited Willsgrove, Sizani Fruit and Vegetables and Lee Market and noticed that there were queues with people failing to adhere to the principle of social distancing. In Gwanda and Gweru, market places were still closed yesterday. In Victoria Falls, vegetable vendors were back to their vending stalls. The municipality disinfected the three vegetable markets namely Mkhosana Shopping Centre, Old Market and Chinotimba yesterday morning before vendors could occupy them. A snap survey around the markets showed that some vendors had started selling outside the stalls. Some tippy taps, which are hand washing devices made up of a water container suspended on a horizontal pole and tied to a pedal using a string which when tipped by foot, releases water for one to wash hands, had been set up at the markets’ entry points. Hwange District Medical Officer Dr Fungai Mvura said a limited number of vendors will be allowed to maintain the recommended social distancing. “Yes we met with the residents association and the municipality was tasked to sanitise the stalls while vendors themselves must have sanitisers at any given time. The vendors are not supposed to go to the market at once but will give each other chances by way of rotating so that the stalls are not congested,” said Dr Mvura. Combined Victoria Falls Residents Association (Vifacora) chairman Mr Morgen Gazza Dube urged the informal traders to abide by health guidelines. “While essential service providers like shops remained open, vegetable markets are no exception as they provide similar services which are even more affordable to the ordinary citizens. “We have engaged authorities and I therefore urge vegetable vendors to return to their stalls. However, we are all reminded to guard against the spread of Covid-19 and sell only on designated vegetable markets, provide sanitary material and maintain social distancing between stalls and customers,” he said.

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