THE Gweru City Council has issued an ultimatum to vendors operating at the Mtapa market to vacate the spaces they are operating from and move to designated areas.
In a statement yesterday, acting town clerk Livingston Churu said the informal traders had until the end of yesterday to leave the illegal sites.
He said the vendors were required to relocate to designated areas by March 18 this year.
“This directive aims to ensure order and safety, avoiding the risks associated with trading along the main road, cycle track and high voltage power lines. This notice is issued in compliance with SI 177(9) of 2018, which prohibits the presence of persons or objects under or within a prescribed distance of high-voltage power lines.
“We urge you to co-operate by relocating to the allocated areas in the market. Your prompt response will help to avoid unnecessary inconveniences,” he said.
However, Gweru Hawkers and Traders Association chairperson Lovemore Tingaka said while vendors were supposed to operate from designated areas, council should provide adequate market stalls to informal traders.
“We appreciate that council wants informal traders to operate legally and also ensure their safety. We, however, request that more market stalls be made available because we now have more people joining the informal sector.
“We, however, encourage vendors to operate within the framework of the law as we try to find a lasting solution to vending space,” he said.
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Most traders at Mtapa market were relocated from the former Kombayi vegetable market following a 2021 government directive to refurbish infrastructure in cities across the country.
Most people joined the relocated informal traders but they ended up operating in undesignated areas.
