The struggle for survival on the streets

By Siyabonga Sayi

Vendors in Harare

It’s after a day’s work and she has a few notes to set aside for the month end scary knock on her door by her landlord and from the few notes draw some amount for Tapiwa’s school fees.  The handful coins left are the ones she has given Tsitsi to run and purchase the smallest bottle of cooking oil at the nearby tuck shop. 

It’s not easy being a vendor. She has to constantly keep watch of her tomatoes and onions, as pedestrians are prone to step on them and render no apology for it.

She also has to be vigilant and keep an eye on the city council officers who are prowling around the town as she can lose all her belongings to them.

According to the world food program 72% of Zimbabweans are living below the poverty datum line. 

Hence the increase of vendors in the country is a huge stride towards surviving in such a country and situation. 

Members of the public in Zimbabwe are always calling on authorities to wipe off all the vendors from the streets in the cities and urban areas. They say vendors make it difficult for them to maneuver around the city doing their business.

Vendors are also doing their business on the streets. Their striving to find for their families in a descent way, it’s not an easy experience for them as well, if they had a better option surely they would leave the streets and do something else.

A vendor at Kudzanai by the name Magret Ziyambi bus terminus expressed some of the difficulties she and her fellow workmates face in relation to their work.

“Sometimes we knock off without anything to take to our children at home, we have to pay for transport back to the location where we stay and also at the same time we suffer loss as the vegetables and fruits we sell are prone to go bad”, she said.   

80% of people in Zimbabwe are without regular employment and more than 80% of these are destined to work only in the informal sector.

With such statistics it is imperative for fellow Zimbabweans who might be among the few people employed in the formal sector to spare the vast poverty stricken fellow citizens as they struggle to survive by selling on the streets.

Zimbabwe’s economy is based on agriculture, Professor Jonathan Moyo on hard talk BBC confirmed it saying, “this country has a lot of farmers who contribute largely to our economy.”  

The produce from these farmers is mainly sold by vendors. There is less exportation of the produce, major stored like OK, Pick and Pay, Spar and Bornmache order imports fruits and vegetables and order a few from major farm producers like Irvin’s. This leaves the small scale farmer’s produce without a market, hence resolving to providing vendors.

In Harare the streets are packed with vendors and it seems they are increasing each every day. Masvingo as well is now the in the same situation. Gweru and Bulawayo are also flooded with genuine citizens trying to solicit survival on the streets.

The First lady of the country Dr. Grace Mugabe is held responsible for authorizing vendors on the streets.

“If you locate any space within the city put your tomatoes there, any other vegetables or goods and sell”, she said.

The people of Zimbabwe have done just that.

Removing vendors on the streets would add to a huge percentage of unemployment that the country already has. This would as well usher in the rise of crime.

Vending is not a problem but definitely not in the CBD hence the city fathers are working to allocate these people proper places.

Harare City council principal spokesperson Mr. Michael Chideme said in the Sunday mail of 24 May 2015, the vendors must be relocated as a matter of urgency.

“We have already embarked on the process of constructing three informal sector complexes which are going to accommodate some of the vendors in Mbare”, he said.  

Bindura city council as well should be commended for their good initiative of allocating street vendors proper place and sheds to execute their business.

Bindura Town Clerk Shangwa Mavesera said in the Nehanda Guardian of April 20, “we could not start by chasing them off the streets without allocating them proper space to do their business. So first of all we are re furbishing the old stalls to create a proper place for them to settle”.

Instead of demonizing the innocent people on the streets, chasing them around, destroying and looting their hard earned products, goods and food stuffs they sell, let’s come together as Zimbabweans and call upon responsible authorities to help everyone survive and enjoy in this peaceful country of ours.

This is not Saudi Arabia: Mphoko

Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko

Siyabonga Sayi

The Vice President Hon Phelekezela Mphoko said Zimbabwe is not Saudi Arabia, at a national healing and reconciliation public lecture held at Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) on May 14 2015 whilst addressing the issue of women rights and empowerment.

In response to a question by Acting Director of Centre for Gender and Cultural Studies at GZU Mrs. Farisai Zvobgo relating to women’s rights and empowerment Mphoko said Zimbabwe was different from Saudi Arabia.

“This is not Saudi Arabia, this is Zimbabwe, where everybody can do anything under the sun and be recognized as according to their profession”, said Mphoko.

The Vice President continued to stress that women in Zimbabwe have an important position as they are recognized in all sectors and even in government.

“In Zimbabwe we have laws which accommodate women, today we have Mrs. Edna Madzongwe who is the president of the senate and Mrs. Zvobgo is the director in an international institution, she can go anywhere and be recognized”, continued Mphoko.

The Vice President also went on state that rape which happens in the country is not government policy as he brushed away the accusations of exposing women to abuse and that he felt were leveled against the government.

“Rape is not government policy, if you rape a girl because you have failed to talk to her, it’s not government policy”.

“Government policy says if a person rapes, they are arrested, and that is what has been done”, emphasized Mphoko.

“Today women also rape men, and that should equally be treated as rape” he continued.

He blamed greed as responsible for rape, as he emphasized that the government has laws that put men and women at the same level.

He referred to the biblical teachings on men and women being the same before God, and women’s importance as they bring the human race to life.

“Amongst us there is a very important person, even themselves they do not recognize how important they are, everybody walking here is from a woman, and a woman herself is from a woman” said the Vice President.

He emphasized that women should be treated as colleagues and friends and also as wife to those married, he gave himself as an example when he said her wife controls the finances.