Harare City Council, through its social media pages, has sent a chilling warning to tuckshop owners who operate from Mbare Musika. The City Council says it will soon be removing all tuckshops that operate at the national bus rank. They have not given a timetable as to when they will be carrying out this operation. Their warning came on the same day when Chitungwiza sent a similar warning to vendors in their city.

With unemployment very high in Zimbabwe, the government often likes to claim that unemployment is low because most people are employed in the informal sector. However, this sector is often on the receiving end of many adverse government policies and has received little real support. It’s a sector that exists despite both national and local government efforts to destroy it.

All tuckshops operating illegally at Mbare Musika Bus Terminus to be removed as council restores the original use of popular regional bus rank.
The message from COH’s Twitter page

Council castigated for enforcing outdated laws

Several people criticised the town council for seeking to enforce outdated laws made when unemployment was low. They pointed out the fact that these were not normal times as the economy was in turmoil and even the council itself was failing miserably to fulfil its obligations including refuse collection. servicing roads and making sure traffic lights were working.

Speaking of traffic lights in the city, the same town council issued a warning against civilians who controlled traffic at non-working junctions. The bulk of traffic lights in Harare are out of order and often to prevent gridlock civilians volunteer to control traffic as the national police are often nowhere to be seen in such cases.

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