Council offside on demolition of tuckshops

THE Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) condemns the impending demolition of tuckshops by Harare City Council (HCC) at a time the Zimbabwean economy is in dire straits and heavily informalised due to lack of employment.

The proposed demolitions are a clear war against livelihoods and aimed at further impoverishing the already suffering Harare residents, especially in this COVID period.

We are worried by the continued failure by the HCC to recognise the informal sector as a potential revenue contributor to the local authority budget.

CHRA is opposed to the autocratic tendencies that have been adopted by the local authority since the emergence of COVID-19.

It is disappointing that the local authority has taken advantage of the shrinking civic space, thereby unilaterally making outrageous and unreasonable decisions which have dire consequences on poor residents.

The February 18, 2021 order and threat issued by council that “all people running illegal tuckTO shops across town should stop operations and remove their structures”, this without consultation and engagement of the “illegal” tuckshop owners, is unacceptable and not pro-poor.

It is very unfortunate that these so-called demolitions seem to have other motives beyond “development control”, as it targets high-density suburbs where the urban poor reside.

CHRA appreciates the intention of the city to bring order and sanity to market stalls and tuckshops, but condemns the way the city intends to “control development” by issuing orders without broader consultations and engagement.

We warn that any city planning that is devoid of local contextual needs is a catalyst of inequalities.

We further warn that any attempt to destroy livelihoods through “demolitions” will have serious political consequences and costs on those peddling this anti-people agenda.

We are also aware that in complying with the Cabinet directive last year, HCC demolished makeshift stalls and tuckshops at Kamunhu Shopping Centre, Mabvuku, but soon after the demolitions politicians spearheaded reallocation of vending spaces.

We, therefore, recommend the following:

lHCC must shelve the planned demolitions, engage players in the informal sector and the “illegal” tuckshop owners to come up with an inclusive solution to the problem.

lHCC must expedite and complete the process of coming up with its own master plan since the one in use was last reviewed and updated in 1993 and the reviewed master plan must integrate informal economic activities.

lDepoliticisation of the informal sector that has been seriously affected by partisan politics and used as a tool for partisan political mobilisation.