Vending licences must be lowered

AS Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation (Viset), we are dismayed by the new licence fees announced by the Harare City Council.

It is with great dismay that we note this increase was imposed without consultation nor consideration of the fact that small businesses are still grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, lockdown and the resultant decline in business due to the depressed economic environment.

The charges, examples being the $55 273 for grocery shop licence, $10 351 for hawkers licence and the same amount for grinding mill licence, represent an assault on people trying to earn a living in an extremely challenging environment.

While cognisant of the fact that the city needs to generate revenue in order to meet costs of service delivery, we urge the authorities to be innovative during these times by seeking partnerships with their publics and finding out how best they can assist council, for example informal associations such as Viset have expressed readiness to assist in the development and running of satellite markets and recently following a fire outbreak at Pomona dump site, business owners operating in the vicinity assisted the council in bringing the situation under control.

It is our firm belief as Viset that such collaborative partnerships are key to service delivery particularly bearing in mind that businesses’ ability to afford these charges are constrained by the economic challenges that show no sign of abating soon.

Viset information and publicity department