The Sunday Mail
Sunday Mail Reporter
AT the beginning of June 2021, Government – through the Secretary for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Mr Tafadzwa Muguti – gave a four-day ultimatum to unregistered informal traders, including car sellers, to move their operations from road servitudes.
Although this was meant to enforce Section 48 of the Road Act, which prohibits trading on roads unless with written authorisation from the road authority, it was also considered to be in the best interest of the motoring public.
Government even made an undertaking to rope in the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate officials who authorised the businesses to trade on road servitudes. It worked for some time, but when the campaign ended, the informal traders returned. While, initially – the unregistered informal traders sold furniture, bricks, sand, quarry stones and vehicles – a worrying emerging trend involves heavy machinery and vehicles such as tow trucks and earth-moving equipment like front-end loaders and excavators. Not only is it considered illegal and unsightly but it disturbs the smooth flow of traffic as well. For Mr Shepherd Musupero, a motorist, council needs to be pro-active in ensuring orderliness in the capital.
“Council should deal with this menace once and for all.
“I think these businesses should be located elsewhere. Their clients can follow them there,” he said. Mr Ben Jabangwe, another motorist, said city fathers were sleeping at the wheel.
“You do not see such lawlessness in any other modern metropolis in the world,” he said.
“Council must move with speed and address this problem, which is getting out of hand.” Harare City Council spokesperson Mr Innocent Ruwende said the offenders were taking advantage of the fact that the local authority does not have heavy-duty tow trucks to impound the equipment.
“Our by-laws are very clear; they say that it is illegal to do what they are doing.
“They are not supposed to be there,” he said.
“The problem we have is that we don’t have heavy-duty tow trucks to impound the equipment and they are taking advantage of that.
“However, those we apprehend are fined, but they continue coming back.” The equipment is being hired out for amounts ranging from US$100 to US$120 per hour.
