By A Correspondent
The Zimbabwean government has issued a 48-hour ultimatum for local authorities to remove illegal vendors, particularly those operating at night, from undesignated spaces across cities and towns.
This crackdown, set to be enforced with the aid of law enforcement agencies, has ignited a heated debate.
While the government justifies the move as a necessary measure for public health and safety, the deeper issue behind the proliferation of informal markets remains the country’s soaring unemployment rate.
The question now is whether these severe actions will truly revive the nation’s struggling economy, or if they will stoke further unrest.
Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Daniel Garwe, expressed concern over what he described as “serious health, safety, and security concerns” related to the rise in unregulated markets.
He claimed that these unregulated spaces were not only disrupting registered businesses but were also creating unsanitary conditions that could lead to diseases such as cholera and typhoid. “The mushrooming of unregulated marketplaces has disrupted legally registered businesses,” Garwe remarked, adding that the expansion of the informal sector was fostering “unfair competition” and increasing “unsanitary conditions.”
Despite these claims, Garwe’s comments fail to address the root cause of the issue—the country’s severe unemployment crisis. With the formal economy failing to provide enough job opportunities, many Zimbabweans, especially the youth, have turned to street vending as their only means of survival. These vendors are not criminals; they are citizens who have been left with no alternative in a deteriorating economy. It’s not merely a question of public health—it’s about the economic desperation that forces people to seek any means of livelihood.
What’s even more telling is the backdrop of fear and insecurity within President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration.
The government’s decision to crack down on street vendors is widely seen as a direct response to rising tensions and growing dissent among the population.
War veteran Blessed Geza, in particular, has vowed to mobilize protests, threatening to organize public demonstrations against the regime.
This move by the Mnangagwa regime is seen as an effort to stave off potential unrest.
The authorities seem increasingly aware that their grip on power is slipping, and Geza’s vow to stir protests underscores their growing fear of a popular uprising.
As the government pushes forward with its plans, the question remains whether these measures will quell the discontent or fuel further opposition.
The actions against vendors may be a short-term attempt to restore order, but the root causes of the unrest—economic hardship and lack of opportunity—remain deeply entrenched.