BULAWAYO – The City of Bulawayo has given street hawkers a February 9 deadline to stop trading from undesignated sites or face enforcement action.

Commuter omnibuses are also being moved back to Egodini after eight years following the completion of the first phase of a project to build a mall. It includes 400 vending stalls with 350 others in the pipeline.

The local authority, in a notice this week, said it expects commuter omnibuses to clear up in the CBD, and is promising a strict enforcement of its by-laws over illegal trading.

Mayor David Coltart estimates there are 5,000 street vendors trading in the CBD, a large majority of them illegally.

Town Clerk Christopher Dube said: “All illegal informal traders are warned and advised to move to designated sites no later than February 9, 2024. Registered informal traders who have abandoned their bays and/or are not paying the requested council fees are advised to return to their bays and regularise their operations.

“All informal traders in Bulawayo are required to have a valid Vendors Licence.”

Monthly rentals for CBD bays are US$11.50 per month with a one-off annual fee of US$23. Outside the CBD the charges are US$5.75 per month and a one-off annual fee of US$11.50.

The city is warning that it will clamp down on a wide range of activities, including the washing of cars in the city centre, street vehicle repairs, public transport operators using illegal pick-up points, vehicles delivering farm produce and littering.

“The City of Bulawayo will be conducting an exercise to eliminate all illegal activities so as to restore order and cleanliness. All informal traders are requested to keep the city clean by ensuring that their trading places are cleared after trading hours and are further advised that the full force of the law will be implemented against those who continue to breach the relevant bylaws both immediately, after the deadline and going forward,” Dube said.

The delays in re-opening the Egodini terminus have been a source of frustration for both the council, public transport operators and traders.