Gwanda Council Blitz Riles Food Vendors

Gwanda municipality makes it mandatory for food vendors to have medical certificates. Image by Startup Biz Zimbabwe

BY VUSINDLU MAPHOSA | @The_CBNews | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | FEB 3, 2022

Following the COVID-19 outbreak, the municipality says a medical certificate is now a requirement for food vendors to prevent the spread of other diseases like tuberculosis (TB).

GWANDA (The Citizen Bulletin) — “Personally, the only option for survival has been either gold panning, which is very risky or food vending here in Gwanda.”

These are the words of a youthful Thandolwenkosi Moyo who finished her Form Four in 2015, passing six subjects including Mathematics.

Moyo says she has applied for teaching, police and nursing jobs since then without success, and stopped short of saying she has given up.

She now sells cream donuts, buns, drinks, fruits and freezits in Gwanda town.

For the past 3 years, Moyo says she never had problems with the municipality until recently.

This is after the municipality announced plans to get strict against food vendors that have taken over the small town.

Gwanda Mayor, Njabulo Siziba says council will launch a blitz targeting food vendors beginning February 1 to force them to abide by council laws, including a requirement to have medical certificates.

“A lot of them are not registered to occupy any area in town and we feel the need to revive our by-laws, especially those that concern food vendors,” Siziba says.

“We want all the street vendors to have medical certificates. We do not want them to spread diseases to their customers. We expect to start strictly enforcing the by-law early next month (February).”

He says failure to produce the medical certificate will attract a hefty fine.                                 

The council says all medical examination certificates must be valid for 12 months.

A survey shows that a medical test at private laboratories start from US$30.

Streetwise Informal Traders Association Director Percy Mcijo says a medical certificate is then acquired at a cost of US$5, bringing the total cost to anything from US$35.

A vending licence costs US$37, while rentals for a bay is US$11.50 in the central business district and around US$5.50 per month in the high density.

Gwanda town...Vendors association blames the council for failing to avail legal vending bays for informal traders. Image by Sunrise Sunset Times

“When the council starts enforcing those by-laws, some of us will certainly be out of business because I cannot afford the medical certification fees as required,” Moyo says.

Gwanda Residents Association (GRA) secretary general Wellington Nare weighs in calling on the municipality to engage informal traders.

“The regulation is very repressive considering the fact the sector is the only surviving employer after all these years of company closures and economic failure. Instead of the council crafting these by-laws for informal traders, they should engage them and get proper input.”
Wellington Nare, GRA secretary general

According to Nare, Gwanda has more than 400 vendors operating from the CBD, Phakama, Spitzkop Business Centre, Jahunda Renkini and some in their backyards.

“While issues of health have to be attended to, it means these vendors will lose more to medical practitioners known for charging exorbitant prices.”

“We will engage the council to seek its wide engagement with food vendors for a proper action. Issues affecting food vendors are the operating environment among others which the council has to address,” Nare adds.

But Community Youth Development Trust (CYDT) director Sichasisile Ndlovu says the health certificate requirement for food traders has always been there.

“I remember at one time my aunt was stopped from operating from her usual vending spot after she failed to produce a valid health certificate. For me, it brings positives and negatives.”

“Positives in that people are encouraged to know their health status especially around Tuberculosis which is easily communicable. Negatives in that the process is expensive considering the health tariffs involved,” Ndlovu says.

Ndlovu is however, in agreement that the majority of the youth who survive on informal trading will be affected.

“This means more crime rate as they try to survive or more corruption as they will be forced to pay extra to council police for them to remain operational.”
Sichasisile Ndlovu, CYDT director

“We shall assist them in engaging policy makers for a discussion so that they may have a win-win situation.”

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Gwanda Vendors Association Chairman Masakeni Ndlovu, says council is also to blame by failing to avail legal vending bays.

“People are not selling at the moment because they are required to sell at designated sites but some are trading at illegal sites.”

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