Zimbabwe: 'Fix Broken Economy First Before Chasing Vendors Off the Streets'

What the report says

The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has urged the government to address Zimbabwe’s weak economy and high unemployment before moving against street vendors and informal traders. The remarks, carried by New Zimbabwe and distributed by AllAfrica, came after Local Government Minister Daniel Garwe ordered illegal vendors and traders to leave undesignated trading spaces by 9 September 2026, warning that authorities would remove informal stalls and structures if they did not comply.

According to the report, the directive first targeted Harare’s central business district and the wider metropolitan province before being extended into a nationwide crackdown. ZCTU secretary general Tirivanhu Marimo argued that many people depend on vending because formal jobs are scarce and that the state should take responsibility for economic conditions that have pushed graduates and other jobseekers onto the streets.

Marimo also criticized what he described as a heavy-handed approach, saying vendors were being blamed for urban congestion, sanitation problems and pressure on formal businesses without being offered practical alternatives. He said informal trading has become a major source of livelihoods and should be managed carefully rather than treated only as a nuisance. The union’s response adds to long-running tensions in Zimbabwe over how cities should regulate informal commerce while unemployment remains high. In general, similar disputes in the country have often reflected broader debates over urban order, poverty and the role of the informal economy.