By Paul Nyathi|The MDC Secretary for Local Government Sesel Zvidzai had criticised the move by government to remove vendors from the streets of Harare due to the cholera outbreak.

In a statement on Saturday, Zvidzai said the move will not give a solution to the cholera crisis the country is faced with but might actually worsen the situation.

The statement issued on behalf of the party reads as below:

Government removed vendors from their business sites ostensibly to curb the spread of cholera after declaring a state of disaster in Harare this week.

The move while sound is in complete, improperly conceived and is poor.

Firstly and importantly the epicentre of the cholera is neither the CBD nor vending sites. It was the Tichagarika area and contamination of borehole water the true reason

Secondly the removal of vendors from open operations will push them to operate in even dirtier places ..in the “vending black market.” It will worsen the situation. Vendors must operate openly so as to be able to manage and monitor the hiegiene where they work from.

Thirdly it must be understood that there is no other source of livelihood for the multitudes of the vendors and their families outside vending. How will they survive, will they scrounge more and more for survival and is this not likely increase their cholera vulnerability.

Fourthly what social safety nets has government put in place for these vendors in the face of lost income at the instance of this disaster.

It is totally inhuman for govt to remove people from.their source of income without providing safety nets.

There has to be a human face to this. Government should be seen to be fighting cholera. However from.the actions currently in progress, houses being demolished, vendors being pushed away from thier livelihoods etc..it appears government is fighting the poor and not cholera.

A humane approach would be

1) Intensive health education
2) Provision of sanitation facilities at vending sites
3) fiscal support to the metropolitan Harare..to find long lasting solutions
4) Involvement of the vendors in finding lasting solution
5) Provision of safety nets to those who will unavoidably be moved.
6) Avoidance of seeking political opportunity out of this disaster