Cleaning Up Zimbabwe’s Cities Must Not Mean Destroying People’s Livelihoods

By Simba Zimunya

Zimbabwe’s campaign to restore order in its cities raises an important question: can authorities create clean, organised urban spaces without pushing thousands of struggling people further into poverty?

Across the country, informal traders have faced intensified enforcement, with vending stalls removed and traders ordered to leave undesignated trading areas. Government says the campaign is necessary to restore cleanliness, protect public spaces and improve the appearance and functionality of urban centres.

Those objectives are not unreasonable. No city should have its pavements blocked, roads obstructed or public spaces turned into unmanaged trading areas. Pedestrians deserve safe walkways, motorists need accessible roads, and formal businesses have a legitimate interest in operating in an orderly environment.

But there is a serious problem with an approach that focuses heavily on removing vendors while leaving the question of their survival unresolved.

The Reality Behind Street Vending

For many Zimbabweans, street vending is not simply a lifestyle choice. It is a response to limited formal employment opportunities, low incomes and the pressure to provide for families.

A person selling vegetables, clothes, airtime or household goods on a pavement may be supporting children, paying rent and putting food on the table. Removing that person's trading space without a workable alternative does not automatically create a better city. It may simply remove their source of income.

This is the economic reality authorities must confront. Informal trading has become a major part of Zimbabwe's economy, and any policy affecting it has consequences far beyond the appearance of city streets.

The question is not whether vending should be regulated. It should. The question is whether regulation is being implemented in a way that recognises the people whose livelihoods depend on it.

A Designated Market Is Not Automatically a Viable Market

Authorities have repeatedly urged traders to move into designated vending areas. In principle, this is a sensible solution. Properly managed markets can improve sanitation, reduce congestion and give traders a more secure environment.

However, relocating a trader is not as simple as allocating a stall.

A vendor's income depends heavily on customers. A trading site may have clean facilities and available space, but if it is far from public transport, shopping centres or the normal flow of customers, the trader may struggle to make enough money to survive.

ZBC reported in September that vendors had raised concerns about the accessibility and commercial viability of some designated markets. The report also cited a Harare City Council database showing more than 9,000 unoccupied stalls at People’s Markets and Home Industries across the city's districts.

That raises an important question: if trading spaces are available but remain unoccupied, have authorities adequately investigated why vendors are reluctant to use them?

It is not enough to tell people where to sell. Authorities must ensure that those places are accessible, affordable, properly serviced and capable of attracting customers.

Order Must Not Become an Excuse for Abuse

There must also be clear limits on how enforcement is conducted.

Municipal authorities have a responsibility to enforce by-laws, but that responsibility does not give officers permission to intimidate, humiliate or unlawfully confiscate traders' goods.

The Zimbabwe Peace Project raised concerns in October about alleged intimidation, overnight detention and confiscation of goods during vendor evictions. Such allegations deserve transparent investigation rather than dismissal.

If an individual violates municipal regulations, authorities should follow lawful and proportionate procedures. Enforcement should be professional, accountable and consistent.

A clean city should not come at the expense of people's dignity and basic rights.

Equally, vendors must recognise that economic hardship does not give anyone unlimited permission to occupy public roads, obstruct pavements or disregard reasonable health and safety requirements. Pedestrians, residents and formal businesses also have rights that must be respected.

Government Needs to Address the Cause, Not Only the Symptoms

The ongoing disagreement over the approach to vendor removals exposes a deeper policy problem.

A report published on 10 November described differing positions within government, with one approach emphasising the removal of vendors and another arguing that alternative operating sites should be established first.

That disagreement points to the central issue: enforcement and relocation should be parts of the same plan, not competing priorities.

If authorities remove traders before suitable alternatives are ready, they risk creating unnecessary hardship and encouraging vendors to return to the same streets once enforcement operations end.

Zimbabwe needs a coordinated urban trading policy that includes local authorities, traders' associations, residents, formal businesses and relevant government ministries.

Such a policy should provide:

- Accessible and affordable designated markets close to customers and public transport.

- Proper sanitation, water, waste collection, security and storage facilities.

- Transparent allocation of vending spaces to prevent corruption and the exploitation of traders.

- Clear notice and fair procedures before goods or structures are removed.

- Independent channels for reporting misconduct by enforcement officers.

- Support for traders to register, formalise and grow their businesses.

Authorities should also publish clear information about available trading spaces, their costs, facilities and allocation procedures. Traders should not have to rely on informal intermediaries or alleged space barons to access public trading areas.

Zimbabwe Needs Cities That Work for Everyone

The debate should not be reduced to a choice between clean streets and people's livelihoods. A properly planned city should be capable of protecting both.

Formal businesses should not face unfair competition from traders who ignore legitimate regulations. Pedestrians should not be forced into roads because pavements are occupied. At the same time, informal traders should not be pushed out of economic activity without realistic opportunities to continue earning a living.

The real test of the clean-up campaign will not be how many stalls are demolished or how many vendors are chased from the streets. It will be whether cities become cleaner and safer while traders are successfully moved into sustainable, properly managed markets.

Zimbabwe does not need disorderly streets. But neither does it need an urban policy that makes vulnerable people pay the price for years of weak planning and limited economic opportunities.

A city is not truly organised when its streets look clean but thousands of families have lost the means to survive.